


Chasing Purpose (Final Mix)

by LovelyJasmari



Series: Kalai ~ Daughter of the Wind Main Canon [2]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Blink and you'll miss it references to KHUX, Canon-Typical Violence, Drama, Eventual Romance, Explicit Language, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Light Bondage, Light Dom/sub, Love Triangles, Multi, Orgasm Denial, Polyamory, Porn With Plot, Sexual Content, Slow Burn, Threesome - F/F/M, Tsundere elements, Unrequited Love, Xaldin is hella OOC but fatherhood will do that to you, Xaldin is super overprotective dad, some characters appear in flashbacks but will not be tagged, some disney characters appear but will not be tagged
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-05
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2020-01-05 05:11:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 129,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18359294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LovelyJasmari/pseuds/LovelyJasmari
Summary: Rewritten/updated sequel to Days In The Sun that takes place about a year before the events of KH1. Xaldin never imagined that he would ever see his child again, let alone as the newest member of Organization XIII.Alixka begins her strange new existence in The World That Never Was and finds comfort in  the most unlikely places. But the longer she remains a Nobody, the more she begins to question their true nature. And her own own past. NSFW chapters are tagged as such.Accompanying Spotify Playlist ~ https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2aXz0yrX36UxtBe72KNb0m





	1. Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone and Happy New Year! If you are just discovering this work, thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy. For those returning, welcome back! 
> 
> So this story was initially written in 2016 and when I first posted here soon after finishing KH3 last year, it was more or less the same with a few things added from KH3 and KHUX. But over the course of 2019, I wrote a bunch of one shots that I felt deserved to have a larger place in this story and so I decided to return to this work and add more. 
> 
> The plot and many of the passages have remained the same with the exception of the addition of a few new plot elements, more chapters and hopefully more character development. Without further ado, let's jump back into the madness!

~~~

_Her heart was slamming against her ribs as she hurried down the alley, running for her life from the relentless, shadowy figures._

_“Leave me alone!”_

_Even as she screamed out, the sound of her voice could barely be heard under the sound of own deafening heartbeat._

_“Oh! Damnit! Where to go?! Where to go?!”_

_Hot tears formed  in her eyes that she quickly forced herself to suppress as she turned around a corner. Safe for a few precious moments._

_“I’m sorry, Leon. I should have listened to you and not gone off on my own!”_

_But she slapped herself to keep herself from crying anymore. No, she couldn’t be weak. She couldn’t cry. Not now. And not anymore._

_After all, would he say if he were to see her like this?_

_“Where are you?! Has the darkness taken you from me forever?”_

_It didn’t matter now. Peeking her eyes behind her, she could see them still on the hunt. She had to find reprieve soon or else she would be lost._

_“I have to find a way back to the First District! It’s far but it’s my only hope. Once there, I can hide out in Cid’s shop until Leon can take me back home!”_

_A few times now in her life she had escaped the darkness, and now she would have to avert it for the once again. Her strength was wearing thin but she forced herself to push on as she continued down the alley._

_And for a few hopeful moments, it seemed as though her shadowy pursuers were gone._

~~~

Xaldin examined the young woman lying unconscious before him on the dark streets of The World That Never Was. The Dusks had bought back info of a new arrival in the city and his Superior had given him orders to retrieve her. Her body twitched and her breathing shifted between erratic and hardly present, but she was alive. He needn’t hesitate to pick her up and bring her back to The Castle That Never Was. But as he took a closer look at her soft features, he felt something strongly resembling panic consume him. If ever Xaldin had doubted that Nobodies lacked hearts, he did now.

_No. It cannot be. By the light of Kingdom Hearts, please don’t let it be her!_

Vexen was working in his lab as usual, even at this late hour, when Xaldin barged in hardly waiting for a response before resting the unconscious girl on a nearby infirmary bed. He frantically began rummaging through several vials on a table while the blonde scientist regarded him with annoyance.

“For pity's sake, No. III! What could possibly…”

“I need an elixir! WHERE DO YOU KEEP THE DAMN ELIXIRS?!”

“They’re right here! Now will you please explain…”

Xaldin didn’t bother to listen to him. He quickly took an elixir and pressed it to the girl’s lips. Within seconds she began to writhe violently before settling back into unconsciousness though her breathing was slightly calmer. He sighed.

“Vexen, look at her.”

The scientist took a glance at the girl, his green eyes flashed with shock.

“But...how? I thought Ansem The Wise sent her away!”

“Radiant Garden fell to darkness, many other worlds also fell.” His dark brows furrowed. “It was only a matter of time. Still, never did I think that I would see her again, let alone like this.”

Vexen sighed, taking a potion and a few cotton swabs off the table.

“The next few hours will be crucial. They will determine whether she will reawaken to a new existence or…” He hesitated. “Fade into nothingness. She is essentially hanging in the balance between life and death.”

 _As if this existence isn’t essentially living death!_ A burning sharp sensation stabbed at Xaldin’s chest. But his tone changed to that of indifference.

“Inform Lord Xemnas. I will stay with her in case she awakens.”

“She won’t awaken for some time I can assure you.” Vexen said. “And I am more than capable…”

“No. IV…”

The blonde gave an irritated sigh at his rank being used against him, even if it was only one below the man beside him.

“Very well. You can swab this potion in her mouth periodically, but I doubt she will regain consciousness tonight.

The moment Vexen disappeared, Xaldin slumped despondently in a chair next to the bed. Memories from his former life flashed violently in his mind; protecting a little girl from a horde of monsters that had been attacking the city, dancing with her at a ball a few years later, teaching her how to wield the lance. His eyes began to burn. He couldn’t understand it. But he didn’t care and in another moment he was sobbing uncontrollably, his face buried into the sheets as he held onto the girls hand.

_My sweet girl, twice now I’ve failed in my duty to you as your father. I wasn’t there for you when you were born, I wasn’t there for you in those first years of your life when you were so alone and starved of love. When Ansem The Wise brought you to the castle I swore I would always keep you safe. And I had you sent you away in order to keep you from this fate. But I couldn’t protect you after all. Forgive me._

She shifted violently in her comatose state, as if she was struggling to hold onto life, whatever life was left for her. Xaldin gave her hand a gentle squeeze. No, she would not die, she was strong, like her father.

_Fight, my child. Hold on. I failed to protect you once. I will not fail you again! I may not be able to keep you from the emptiness that awaits you but I will strive with all that is still in me to see you become stronger and one day, by the light of Kingdom Hearts, you and I will become whole again. I swear it to you._

Xaldin began to soak one of the cotton swabs in potion when he thought he heard a small sound slip from the soft pink lips. He hovered over her desperately, backing up some as she began to move. For several long moments it appeared as though she would awaken. But she did not.

“Is it true. Xaldin?!”

Lexaeus barged in the room followed by Zexion behind him. Xaldin rushed to wipe his eyes before facing the two men.

“Vexen informed us of our new arrival.” Zexion said. “But, not in a million years did I think, it would be her.”

“I don’t think any of us did.” Xaldin replied dryly.

And at that very moment she began to stir once more. The three men watched as her eyes slowly began to open, revealing their brilliant violet hue for the first time. There could be no doubt about it now and it was all Xaldin could do not to sweep her up into his arms.

“She’s awake!” Lexaeus exclaimed, turning to the girl. “Tell me, what is the last thing you recall?”

“It’s still too soon, Lexaeus. You know that.” Zexion said wryly.

“She’s a fighter already. Vexen suspected she would not awaken tonight.” Xaldin said, doing his best to conceal a small sense of pride in his voice.

“Even so.” Zexion continued. “I doubt she can even form a sentence, let alone remember her name.”

“So what now?” Lexaeus asked.

“Lord Xemnas is being informed.” Xaldin replied. “He will be pleased to see she’s regained consciousness. We shall see from there.”

Lexaeus signed as he turned to leave.

“Poor thing.” He said. “Damned to this existence.”

~~~

“She was an apprentice to Ansem The Wise.”

Xemnas stared down at the girl with interest. It was about two hours later and though she had regained consciousness faster than anyone had thought, she had done nothing more than sit up on the bed with her head down and spoke not a single word. Xaldin shifted uncomfortably.

“Yes, she was. B..but...Ansem The Wise had sent her away.”

“Around the same time we began work on our final experiment.” The silver haired man quirked an eyebrow at Xaldin, who paused for a moment to think of a sufficient reply. He couldn’t. Thankfully Vexen spoke up.

“It is possible that he had begun to suspect what was happening and had her leave for her own well being. Was she not of his blood?”

“Perhaps.” Xemnas agreed as he took a few steps toward the girl. She made no response even as the Superior took her chin into his gloved hand, eyeing her silently. He gave a small smirk that did not go unnoticed by Xaldin though he remained silent.

“You feel nothing.”

She did not respond.

“Nothing is real.”

Again she did not respond, only gazing up at him with hollow violet eyes. Xemnas then released her chin and waved his hand to produce five glowing letters, floating before her.

_Kalai_

“I can give you purpose.”

With another wave of his hand, the glowing letters began to swirl around her before he stopped them abruptly; now rearranged with the addition of a new, larger letter: X.

For the first time since her awakening, she spoke, murmuring out the letters of her new name.

_“Alixka.”*_

“That’s right.” Xemnas said. “The new you.” Now he had her attention.

“Where...am I?”

He did not answer her but instead turned to his subordinates.

“She is still weak. She is to stay here tonight and regain her strength.On the morrow, you two shall inform her of her new role and two days from now, she shall be formally welcomed into our ranks. By that time she should have begun to show signs of her power.”

Xaldin and Vexen nodded to their superior as he disappeared in a fade of black and purple.

 _Alixka._ Xaldin thought. _That name couldn’t sound more wrong to my ears if it were a name belonging to a boy._ But this is what he said.

“I’m sure you have a plethora of questions, Alixka. But I’m afraid they will have to wait. For now, focus on regaining your strength.”

Alixka did not respond. Vexen gave a very small smile.

“I look forward to welcoming you into our ranks. I’m sure in time you will develop into a most valuable member.”

It was as though she was there but not at the same time though soon enough she rested herself back on the bed and closed her eyes.

“When was the last time any of us saw her?” Vexen asked when he was certain she had drifted off to sleep again. “Two years or so? Maybe more?”

“Indeed.”

“She’s grown into quite a young woman. I’ll be curious to see what her power will be.”

~~~

_She was trapped._

**_NO!!!_ **

_All of her struggling to free herself proved in vain as her breathing became difficult and her whole body seemed to be ablaze._

_The last thing she remembered was screaming out one last time as she felt everything go black and then..._

_Darkness._

_Darkness everywhere._

_Darkness so powerful that it was suffocating._

_Followed by emptiness._

_~~~_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Alixka is pronounced ah-lish-kah, a few people have asked me this and I don't think I've ever made it clear until now.


	2. Maiden of Tempests

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alixka learns about her new existence as a Nobody, her role in the Organization, and becomes acquainted with some of the other members. Some being more amiable than others.

~~~

“So apparently we have a new member. I just overheard from Axel.”

Larxene made a face. Usually she was the one among them that was on top of everything going on and she was usually the one who found out things to tell her friend. Marluxia went on. 

“Apparently he walked in on her changing into her new clothing.” he smirked a little. “That’s how we know that our new member is a girl.”

“I always knew he was a pervert!” Larxene scoffed. “So does this mean we are _actually_ Organization XIII now?!” 

“I guess.” he shrugged. “At least now you’re no longer the only girl among our ranks.”

“And? So what? You think that means we’re gonna end up becoming BFF’s? Having hair braiding and nail painting sessions while we talk shit about the other members?” Marluxia laughed at this. 

“Are you saying you would be averse to such a thing? Because I for one…”

“It takes more than just having the same stuff between our legs to be on my good side! Hell, the only reason I put up with YOU is because you’re the only one around here who isn’t a complete dumbass!” 

His laughter became louder, truthfully there was far more to his relationship with Larxene beyond him just not being a “complete dumbass”, as she would put it. From the moment they were brought into the Organization, around the same time, though a few months apart, there was something that connected the eleventh and twelfth members. It was a connection not shared with the other members and naturally here were rumors that there was more to their relationship than they let on. 

The truth was far more complex, or rather, more simple in a way. With his calm reserve and her fiery temperament, they strangely complemented each other as the stars complimented the moon. Marluxia was never offended by her snark, in fact it amused him. One of his few amusements in this hollow existence and it seemed as though they were soon to have another. 

“Well I myself am intrigued.” he said, placing his hand to his chin. “I think Xigbar said she’ll be formally introduced tomorrow. I’m looking forward to meeting this new member of ours.”

Larxene knew that tone in his voice and made another face.

“Hmph! You’re just as bad as Xigbar! AND Axel!” he laughed again but she folded her arms with contempt. “Well for her sake, I hope she’s ugly!”

She thought herself being quite serious but apparently Marluxia did not think so and despite her words she soon felt a smile force itself upon her lips. Loath she was to admit it, she was also curious about the new girl, but for different reasons. 

“No. XI! No. XII!”

The sound of Saix’s voice put an end to their chatter as the blue haired prick entered The Grey Area, looking slightly more annoyed than usual. If such a thing was possible. 

“A particularly large swarm of Heartless have surfaced in Twilight Town.” he said. “Both of you, take care of it.”

Marluxia and Larxene gave each other a knowing glance, silently expressing their contempt for the second-in-command, before nodding to him and leaving. At least they were actually paired together for this mission, they could continue talking about the new girl later. 

~~~

“She’s been given the rank of zero?”

“Yes. That is what Saix told me.”

“We’ve been at only twelve members for almost a year now. I figured her arrival would finally put us at thirteen.”

“Lord Xemnas wanted to give her a rank that reflected her connection to the original six apprentices. I’m sure if she had stayed with us...you’re rank may very well be seven rather than six.”

“It’s clear he has plans for who the thirteenth member should be that as of now we do not know.”

The sound of voices and the nightmarish memories were enough to rouse Alixka out of her sleep. She looked up at the ceiling and for the first time really began to take in the things around her, the room was eye piercing white but somehow ominous. The windows revealed a dark night sky, but surely it was morning by this point right? 

Slowly she pulled herself up to stand for the first time. The last few hours were still a blur to her but she realized by now that she was still alive.

She turned to her side and found a set of black clothes folded neatly on the bed next to her with a small note.

_Alixka, please put these clothes on the moment you are awake._

It was at this moment that she realized that she was no longer wearing the clothes she last remembered wearing; just a pair of black shorts and some simple white cloth wrapped around her chest keeping her womanliness in place. This would not do. She had to find some proper underwear at some point soon, her first coherent thought.

Alixka was studying the long black coat thoughtfully when she thought she heard a weird sound from behind her. She turned around to see a black and purple mist and from it a tall man appeared wearing the same black coat she was holding and with spiky red hair.

“Hey Vexen, Demyx got scrapped pretty badly can I…” Axel halted when his eyes took in her half naked form, both of them becoming quite red.

“Oh! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean…”

“Aaaahhhh!!!”

A strong gust of wind came from Alixka that knocked the redhead back as far away from her as possible, along with a few glasses on the table next to her. The resulting crashing sound was enough to make Vexen barge in.

“What was that?!”

Axel quickly stood to his feet, careful to turn his back to Alixka lest he be knocked back again.

“I meant no harm. I came here to get a potion and, well…” with a small smirk. “I think I’ve just discovered the new girl’s power.” The scientist glared at him for a long moment before he took the hint. “Uh...yeah...I’ll be back later.” and within moments he was gone.

Vexen stared down at the broken glass on the floor and then at Alixka, before thinking better of it at the last moment and turning away from her as he began to pick up the pieces.

“Dress, child. And then we will explain what has happened.”

It didn’t take her long to slip into the black coat, pants and boots. There were even a pair of matching black gloves that gave the outfit a sense of completeness, maybe even chicness. Hey, whatever solace she could find in this strange situation.

“Did...what did I do just then?” She finally asked.

“First things first.” Vexen began and then called for Xaldin and Zexion. “Now, child. Do you yet remember anything?”

“S..some.”

“What’s the last thing you remember?” Zexion asked.

Fragments of her nightmare began to flash in Alixka’s mind, she shivered.

“Running...I was being chased by dark creatures. I had made it as far as the Second District and then...ahhh!”

A sharp pain jabbed at her head as her memory went completely blank from that point. She cried and held her head with her hands. Xaldin reached out to her briefly, before thinking better of it and placing his hands back in his pockets.

“Don’t push yourself.” he said. “If that’s all you remember that’s fine.”

“That’s...all I remember...”

“Honestly, that's all that really matters at this moment.” Vexen sighed. “You see, Alixka, those creatures that chased you down, they’re called Heartless and as the name implies they have no hearts.”

“No hearts?”

“Yes.” Zexion said. “They’re grotesque creatures of instinct that hunt down those with hearts and attack them relentlessly.”

Alixka felt her stomach begin to knot up.

“Those creatures, the Heartless, were after my heart? Does that mean?”

“Yes, I’m afraid so.” Vexen answered before she could finish. “You’re heart was stolen.”

**_STOLEN?!_ **

“What?! But how?! Doesn’t that mean I should be dead?! How can I exist with no heart?!”

“That’s where we come in.” Xaldin replied. “When someone loses their heart, naturally a Heartless is made. But from that creation another form is born of the body that remains, a Nobody.”

“Which is what we are. And what you now are.” Zexion said. “Most Nobodies are as devoid of anything resembling humanity as the Heartless. Only those with a very strong will are able to keep their human form.”

“But I still have no heart.”

“No.” Vexen replied. “But your strong will allowed you to continue to exist, though only as a shell of a person. The Organization is made up of twelve other Nobodies just like you, Alixka.”

“Organization?”

“We are a group of the strongest Nobodies, our goal is to unlock the mysteries of the heart and to form and unlock the great Kingdom Hearts. When that happens, we can be whole people once more.”

_Kingdom Hearts_

“Come with us.”

Xaldin took her hand as the four Nobodies faded in a cloud of black and purple. In another moment they were in a large empty room with large windows.

“Wha? How did we…?”

“Nevermind that for now.” Xaldin continued. “Look out that window.”

Alixka glanced out to see a large moon hanging in the night sky resembling a heart. The heart-shaped moon was gold, though cratered with black and fragments of red, as if the heart itself was not yet fully complete. It was strangely beautiful; in a mysterious, haunting sort of way.

“What are you doing here?”

Alixka turned around to see another man appear in the same blue and purple haze. He had blue hair, the scar of an X etched in his face and cold expressionless look in his golden eyes that made her tremble. As if sensing her fear, Xaldin spoke up.

“Lord Xemnas has tasked us with introducing her to her new life and purpose. What better way than to show her the true manifestation of our ultimate goal?”

The blue haired man said nothing, only taking a few steps toward Alixka. She stepped back and summoned a strong gust of wind that pushed him away, again not knowing how she did it. The three members gasped.

“Insolent neophyte! How dare you…”

“Take no offence, Saix!” Xaldin at once stood in front of her. “The child’s been awake only a few hours and hasn’t gotten a hold of her skills yet.”

“Hmmph.”

It took him a few moments before Saix regained composure, staring down at Alixka.

“This is the Addled Impasse.” He said. “It is off limits without explicit permission from me or our Superior. Remember that.”

And with that he disappeared. The three men groaned.

“If anyone is a neophyte it’s him!” Vexen grumbled.

Xaldin did not hear him, he could only focus on the power that Alixka had displayed now for the second time. So similar to his own in nature.

~~~

Much later Zexion showed her to her new room. By that point, she had begun to get a grip of understanding of her new existence, though she still struggled with remembering much else. Zexion had made it a point of reminding her periodically of everything she was now learning and quizzing her on it at undetermined moments.

“What is this place called?” He asked her once they reached her room.

“The World that Never Was” Alixka replied. “And we are in The Castle that Never Was.”

“Correct. And my name?”

“Ze...Zexion.”

“Good. Our leader?”

“Lord Xemnas.”

“The man with long blonde hair who talks too much?”

Alixka smiled a little. “Vexen.”

“And your name?”

“My name is Alixka.”

“I should hope you would remember that. It was your first word upon awakening after all.”

They both took a seat on the bed. Alixka looked out the window at of the dark sky.

“Does time pass differently here?” She asked. “I don’t recall ever seeing the sun once since I’ve been here.”

“No, time passes normally.” Zexion replied. “But because of this world’s close proximity to the darkness, the sky is always dark and almost always rainy. You’ll get used to it.”

Seeing the disconsolate expression on her face, he changed his tone. “But...you’ll see the sun again soon enough once you begin your missions.”

Something to look forward to then. Alixka smiled.

“In any case, you should get some rest. Tomorrow you will be introduced to the rest of the members.” He rose to leave. “But before I go, Alixka, I wanted to ask you something.”

“Yes?”

“By any chance, have you ever played chess?”

She hesitated. “I...remember playing it once or twice...I can’t remember when or with who. But I do know the game.”

Zexion smiled as he vanished in the fade of black and purple.

“Good, we should play sometime.”

~~~

It was early the next morning when Xaldin arrived to escort Alixka to The Round Room. She kept her hood up and was told not to remove it until the Superior spoke her name for the first time.

“This is mainly a formality.” He said to her as they arrived to their destination. “It will be over before you know it and you can continue with your day.”

They took a few steps forward in a large room, stark white just like the other rooms in the castle but with several immensely tall throne-like chairs like marble pillars arranged in a large circle.

“And don’t be nervous.” Xaldin whispered to her before she realized he was disappearing behind her. She looked back up at the tall chairs and watched as one by one they filled, eleven faces she could not make out well due to their height but she assumed they were all also members.

Finally the tallest throne was filled, that belonging to Xemnas. The Superior.

“Today, we bring a new comrade into our ranks.” He said. “One whom’s origins connect deeply to the genesis of this Organization.”

Timidly Alixka took a few more steps forward to the point she was standing in the center of the room, looking up at the many faces staring down at her through her hood.

“Let us all welcome Number 0. The Maiden of Tempests. Alixka.”

On cue she removed her hood to reveal her face, her long dark hair cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall. A few soft murmurs arose from those seated. Her violet eyes continued to scan the faces staring down at her; probably not even noticing how a certain pair of green eyes were watching her with scrutiny, and certain blue gaze was studying her thoughtfully. 

She and her new leader briefly locked glances.

“Alixka.” Xemnas continued. “Welcome to Organization XIII.”

~~~

“Alixka, please recite the names of those here with us.”

It was some time later and Alixka was sitting with Zexion in The Grey Area along with a handful of other members who did not have work to do at the moment.

“Axel, Demyx, Luxord, Larxene.” She gave him a small smile. “And of course, you, Zexion.”

“Looks like you’ve got it memorized.” Axel grinned at her. “Sorry again about earlier. I really didn’t mean to walk in on you dressing.”

“And I didn’t mean to react the way I did.” She replied, reddening a little at the recollection of their first meeting.

“The Maiden of Tempests. Power and turmoil masked by such beauty and serenity.” Luxord revealed a tarot card from his sleeve and handed it to her with a little smirk.

“Temperance. A card of rebirth and balance. Fate may be kind to you yet, my dear.”

“Hmmph! She looks pretty weak to me.” Larxene scoffed, trying her best to seem uninterested. “And what’s her power supposed to be again? Just blowing people away from her? Talk about lame.”

“I’m certain she’ll become stronger in time.” Zexion said irritably.

“I’d think you’d be happy, Larxene.” Demyx chimed in. “You’re no longer the only girl here. You should lighten up and maybe you’ll even make a friend!”

“Nobody asked for your garbage opinion!” she snapped. “As for you, Missy.” turning to Alixka, “Don’t think for a second I’m gonna be easy on you just because we happen to both be girls!”

_Don’t worry I won’t!_

“Hmmm, Alixka is quite a lovely girl.” Luxord said slyly. “Do I sense a touch of feminine jealousy, No. XII?”

“Ooooooohh!” Axel and Demyx said in union. Larxene glared at No. X.

“HOW DARE YOU?!”

From one of her hands she summoned a set of knives in a fierce swirl of lightning that frightened Alixka. Zexion held her back.

“TAKE THAT BACK YOU SON OF A…”

“ENOUGH! ALL OF YOU!”

Saix shouted at the commotion and within seconds Larxene had cooled down and made her knives disappear. The blue haired Nobody continued to glare at them as he entered the room.

“Now that that nonsense is over and done with, Alixka, you will begin your missions in a few days. You will be informed when the time comes. Until then you are to familiarize yourself with this castle and its inhabitants that as of yet you have not become acquainted with. As for the rest of you. Demyx, you are to go on reconnaissance with Luxord in Agrabah. Larxene, your mission for today will be in Wonderland. Go with Vexen.”

“W...WHAT?! Why do I have to go with that half-baked…”

One fierce glare from Saix was enough to silence her.

“Go now, all of you!”

The grey area emptied quickly and quietly, the members dispersing like leaves in the wind.

“Don’t mind Larxene much.” Demyx whispered to Alixka as they left. “The only person she actually likes around here is Marly and sometimes I wonder if she even likes him.”

“Marly?”

“Demyx means No. XI, Marluxia.” Zexion said. “You haven’t met him yet, but you will soon enough, he makes it a point to make himself known wherever in the castle he is.”

~~~

Alixka returned to her room by herself that evening, having memorized that particular wing of the castle well enough that Zexion felt that she no longer needed his guidance. She did wish she could use the Dark Corridors to teleport to her room but as of yet she was unable to summon them and relied on another member when she wanted to move from one place to another quickly.

“Another thing you’ll get used to in time.” Zexion had told her. “And once you do, they will come to your call as naturally as blinking an eye.”

She paused in the hallway for a moment and extended her hand out in front of her, trying to summon a corridor. When nothing answered her call she sighed. It was still quite a walk before she reached her room and being able to summon them would certainly make matters easier.

Just then she thought she heard someone shout followed by some breathless laughter. She didn’t realize she was standing in front of two double doors with windows. Curiously she peeked in to see Axel sparring with another member she had not seen before. 

Axel wielded two round spiked chakrams in red and silver while the other member had a scythe of pink and green. Alixka found herself fascinated by the scythe wielder; his movements were quick, charismatic and oddly beautiful and despite his obvious strength, Axel was outmatched by him.

“This is our training room.”

Lexaeus surprised Alixka by coming from behind her and standing next to her with his arms folded.

“All of the Organization members are expected to engage in combat from time to time. We all have our own skills and weapons.”

“Do I have a weapon too, Lexaeus?”

“You will. You’ve already shown signs of your skills. So I imagine they will come soon.”

She hesitated.

“Who’s that?” Pointing to the window. “Not Axel, the one with pink hair who’s currently kicking his ass.”

Lexaeus gave a small chuckle. “That is our No. XI. The Graceful Assassin, Marluxia.”

So THAT was Marluxia! Now that Alixka had a face to place with the name she looked again at the window. He was like a beautiful enigma, certainly graceful and she formed the thought that any murder he committed would be done with great elegance. Behind the charming movements there was a keen sense of danger in the way he posed and swung his scythe mystified Alixka.

“Geez! Give me a break!” She heard Axel’s voice call out from inside. “Don’t ya know the meaning of calling a draw?”

“There is no calling a draw on the battlefield.” Replied the scythe wielder with a grin. “You wouldn’t want to dishonor the Organization now would you?”

 _He certainly is confident in his ability._ She thought, a strange sort of fluttering coming into her chest that she did not understand. _And he has good reason to be. His fighting, it’s...wow…”_

“I’m going in.” Lexaeus continued. “Would you like to join me? You might as well begin harnessing your power soon. Observing us may prove beneficial.”

Alixka looked up at Lexaeus for a few moments, then refocused her vision to the two Nobodies fighting in the room they stood near. Something came out of her mouth but she didn’t even realize what it had been right away until he felt The Silent Hero take her hand. Apparently she had said yes.

“Come on.”

~~~

The sound of clashing metal vibrated around the room as she silently walked behind him, trying her absolute best to not focus her attention too long or too much on the pink haired scythe-wielder. But the more she glanced at him the more he fascinated her. Almost mesmerizing her. What was this? Surely this was not an actual feeling. Maybe she should not have joined Lexaeus here after all.

Axel and Marluxia seized their fighting to greet them. Alixka tried to position herself behind Lexaeus but it was too late.

“Yo! New girl!” The redhead called out cheerfully. “I don’t think you’ve met our Graceful Assassin, have you?”

_Damnit Axel!_

“N...no…” She mumbled, lowering her head at the sound of clicking heels approaching her. “I don’t think...I have...yet…”

“Well, now is your chance.” Her head was still lowered as she felt a hand gently slide under her chin. 

Marluxia brought her eyes to his and smirked at the soft red tint that appeared on her cheeks. He had only seen passing glances of her throughout the day but now he could see just how pretty she was up close. And he could see at once that she was taken with him as well, thankfully Larxene’s hopes that she would be ugly were unfounded. 

Alixka found her eyes moving up and down his form in a way that almost embarrassed her. There was a very faint floral scent glazed upon his skin, eyes that reminded her of a brilliant blue sky with soft looking pink hair and even softer looking lips. She forced herself to blink. 

_What spell are you casting upon me, Sir?_

“Alixka, was it? How interesting. The X's in our names are pronounced the exact same way.”

The red tint on her face became darker the longer his blue eyes were fixed upon her. Thankfully they were not alone in this room. 

_Get your hand off of me!_

“So, Alixka, what is your skill?”

“We...haven’t discovered that as of yet.” Lexaeus stepped forward and gently pulled the girl back. “Alixka has shown some ability but nothing substantial. To be expected.”

There was silence between the four Nobodies before Marluxia smiled at Alixka.

“Well then, how about we find out what those skills are together.”

_Wha...what skills are YOU talking about? I can’t tell by your tone so please change it!_

“Huh?!”

At once her eyes fell upon his scythe, beautiful but obviously deadly. He backed away some and pointed the scythe at her in a half serious, half playful way. An involuntary chill went through her, and not where she expected.

“Care to take me on, Alixka”

_Stop that!_

Axel scoffed.

“Oh come on, it wasn’t enough for you to kick MY ass now you have to best the new girl as well?” At this the pink haired man laughed.

“What’s the harm? She’ll need to learn how to defend herself soon enough. And what better way…”

“I suspect it would not be a fair fight.” Lexaeus spoke up. “She’s only here to observe for the time being. Unless…” He turned to the girl standing next to him. “You think you’re ready.”

Alixka glanced up at him and then at the scythe. She lowered her head, unsure of what she truly wanted.

“Um...how about I watch you guys for a bit. Then I’ll decide.”

_Yes! Good! That way I can stay here without having to directly interact with him!_

“Fair enough.” Marluxia made a very stylish battle stance as he addressed The Silent Hero. “Care for a repeat of yesterday?”

At this Lexaeus merely smiled. “Your pride shall be your downfall one day, No. XI.” He said. “But I’ll oblige.”

Alixka took a seat in the far corner of the room along with Axel, doing her best not to notice the sharp blue eyes stealing glances of her. As the sound of clashing weapons began to echo again, she focused her attention on the two fighting Nobodies and how they moved.

Lexaeus was obviously the stronger one this time, but his move set was based on blunt force while Marluxia was more decisive and stylized. She began to wonder what would her skills be once she discovered them, and she couldn’t help but hope they would have an air of beauty to them like The Graceful Assassin.

_Marluxia is...very skilled...and… oh! The way he dodged that…amazing!_

“You seem entranced.” Axel said, his eyebrow slightly raised. “But I wonder what it is that’s entrancing you at the moment?”

“Huh?!” She made a face at him. “What’s THAT supposed to mean?!”

“It clearly isn’t the big guy over there.” He went on, his tone becoming sly. “Is The Graceful Assassin working his graceful wiles upon your non-heart, Alixka?”

“EXCUSE YOU?!”

From her body a sudden gust of wind appeared and knocked the redhead away from her. The ensuing sound caused the fighting Nobodies to stop what they were doing and Alixka gasped at what she had done. But instead of getting angry, Axel laughed.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean…”

“No harm, new girl.” He grinned. “But you’re gonna have to learn to control that soon. Think you’re ready for a test of strength?”

Again with the wanting to fight her? Couldn’t she learn her abilities in her own time? Apparently not. But she smiled.

“Fine, Axel!” _Yeah, that should be safe for me!_ “But don’t you think…”

“Oh no. Not me. I’d be far too easy. With a title like Maiden of Tempests you need a challenge a little more...interesting.” He gave her a little smirk as he turned to The Graceful Assassin. “Still wanna take her on?”

_WHY AXEL?! YOU SPIKY HAIRED PRICK!_

“Of course.”

Marluxia pointed his weapon at her again, but now he allowed the point of the scythe to very gently brush against her nose and down to the decorative chain on her coat. In his eyes there was a look that she could not understand but made her cheeks flush red.

“Lexaeus!” Alixka quickly grabbed his hand. “I...I think it’s time for me to return to my room. Can you summon a corridor for me please?”

“Ohohohoho!” Axel laughed.

“Leaving so soon, Rosebud?” Marluxia placed a hand on his hip in a mock pouting gesture. Alixka forced her head to turn from him.

_What the fuck kind of nickname is that?!_

“I should probably rest and…”

“Oh dear, I’ve frightened you haven’t I?”

**_DAMNIT MARLUXIA! JUST CUT IT OUT!_ **

“No! But it’s been a long day and tomorrow will be longer still. I still have a few days before Saix sends me out for my first mission.”

She was now squeezing The Silent Heroes large hand with a strange sense of urgency. He nodded and summoned the Dark Corridor.

“It’s understandable.” He said. “The girl has been through alot in the last seventy two hours. I guess she isn't up for fighting just yet after all.”

At least Lexaeus understood, even if he didn’t understand the rest of what Alixka was feeling. Hell, she hardly understood it herself. Marluxia allowed his weapon to vanish in a cloud of petals. Even the way he did that was beautiful!

“Very well. But I look forward to seeing more of you in the future, sleep well, Alixka.”

She turned back around and allowed herself a brief smile at him before she jumped into the corridor, returning to her room in the next moment. 

Closing her eyes, she immediately found herself thinking about the elegant pink haired Nobody again. They had not spoken for more than a few moments.  But moments were hardly without embarrassment or awkwardness. 

And yet, she replayed those moments over and over in her head, not understanding why. Until sleep finally took her body over.

~~~

The next morning Alixka woke to find the oddest thing: next to her were two roses intertwined with each other. One was purple, deep and rich in color, the exact hue as her own eyes. The second, slightly larger one was pink, beautiful and bright. Beneath the roses was a note folded, unsigned, written in a lovely script.

_Your first mission shall be with me._

_Five days from now._

_I’m looking forward to it and hope you are as well, Rosebud._

She read it and felt a sudden chill as she realized who the writer was. Biting her lip, she read the words over and over again with the hopes of finding new meaning everytime she did so. Not even noticing the flowery creature vanishing from the corner of her room. 

_I will get you for this, Axel! You better hope I NEVER summon a weapon!_

_~~~_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, feedback is appreciated. Fun fact: The original working title for this work was “Kiss From a Rose”. I decided against it because A) after beginning work on Seeking, the underlying theme of finding purpose seemed to make for a better title and B) I didn’t want to be completely cliche.


	3. The Plants Have Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alixka continues to adjust to life as a Nobody and finds herself developing a rather confusing attraction for the eleventh member of the Organization.

~~~

“Have you had a chance to meet The Maiden of Tempests?” The way Larxene’s face twisted gave him his answer. “She’s rather interesting, wouldn’t you say?”

“Didn’t get much of an impression of her.” Larxene replied, trying to seem uninterested even if her scowl betrayed her. “There’s not much to her, doesn’t say much and kinda dense and I wonder…”

“Oh come now, Larxene.” Marluxia smiled. “I’m certain we both were similar to her upon coming here.”

“Wouldn’t know, I barely remember.”

“But one thing is certain, she isn’t ugly. Much to your disappointment I’m sure.”

“Hmph!” she shrugged before responding to his smirk with one of her own. “Like I said, it’s too bad for _her_ , not me. Have you already begun trying to woo her?”

“Woo her?” his smirk became wider, his friend knew him well though he pretended to act coy. “Now why would you say that?”

“Cut the crap, Marluxia!” she scoffed. “Don’t act like that wasn’t your idea from the get-go!”

“And what about you, Larxene? You’re honestly saying you don’t also find her alluring?”

“Weather I do or not is none of your business!”

“Ah ha! So you do!”

“Ugh!” she glared at her friend but he continued to laugh, he also knew her well, much to her chagrin. “I admit, there is something rather adorable in her. Like the way she jumped when I pointed my knives at her the other day, it tickled me!”

“She’s _is_ adorable, like a doll.” he mused devilishly. “A doll that I would love to play with, a doll that maybe I’ll share with you.”

“Hmph! How about getting on her good side first!”

“I don’t imagine that will be too difficult, if you could see how she looked at me when we were in the training room the other day.”

“Is that why you asked Saix if you could take her on her first mission?”

Before he could reply, they heard the sound of footsteps coming from the hallway. They were certain it was likely Saix and quietly groaned at each other. But after a few minutes the footsteps stopped without anyone coming in. 

Alixka had been on her way to the Grey Area, looking for Zexion. Nearly to the door, she stopped at the sound of Marluxia’s voice, followed by Larxene’s. She turned around but it was too late. The Savage Nymph caught sight of her and burst out in laughter as she got up to quickly grab her hand, pulling her into the room. 

“Well well, what have here?” she asked slyly. “Were you listening to our conversation, little mouse?”

“Huh, what?! No!” 

She struggled to break free from the blonde’s grasp but it was quite firm. Larxene leaned into her, giggling mischievously at how her eyes fluttered and involuntarily shifted to her friend sitting behind them.

“Then what were you doing?” 

“I..I...first of all get your hand off of me!” 

Closing her eyes she tried to see if she could summon her wind again. Though it worked at the most inconvenient moments and never when she wanted it to. And of course she had not yet managed to summon Dark Corridors. 

But to her surprise, Larxene decided to be nice and let go of her. Alixka thought of leaving right then and there before she remembered why she had come there in the first place. And there was something else keeping her there as well. 

“I came here looking for No. VI.” she said, looking around her to see that he wasn’t there. “But he’s not here so I’ll leave…”

“Not so fast, little mouse.” her sharp green eyes kept Alixka frozen in a way she did not understand. “You’ve found us in a good mood. Why don’t you stay for a while. We would love to get to know you better. Isn’t that right, Marluxia?”

Her voice was exaggeratedly sweet but he agreed with her, smiling at Alixka and offering her a seat beside him. The brunette stared at him for a long time, blushing and once again unsure of what she really wanted. She still did not know much about Marluxia but she could see that he and Larxene were close and that seemed justifiable enough for her to decide to keep her distance, no matter what fluttering she was currently experiencing. 

Thankfully for her someone else entered the room. She turned to the door, hoping it was Zexion, but it was only Axel. She made a face at him but he seemed not to notice, giving her a little grin. 

“So, you’re getting better acquainted with our No. XI and XII.” he said. 

“She is.” Marluxia agreed, getting up and walking towards Alixka. “And we find her quite intriguing. Don’t we, Larxene?”

“Haven’t decided yet.” she replied teasingly. 

“Well I have.” Without warning, he surprised Alixka by taking her hand and leaning into her ear. “Do you remember what happens five days from now, Rosebud?”

That nickname again! She jumped a little, pulling away from Marluxia and running towards the door. But not before shooting an angry look towards Axel that he seemed to find quite amusing, Marluxia and Larxene gave each other a knowing look as the sound of clicking heels echoed in the hallway.

“I think you scared her off, Marluxia.” she said.

“And you did not do the same?” he replied. “Practically terrified her.”

“Huh?” Axel cut in. “You know we don’t have the ability to feel such a thing.”

”Nevertheless.” Marluxia went on. “I am quite looking forward to our mission together.”

“And nevertheless.” Larxene added. “It’s obvious you’ve just made her shitlist, Axel!” They all laughed.

~~~

“Where were you?!” Alixka asked Zexion rather sharply when she came across him in hallway soon after this. “You told me to meet you in the library! I waited nearly an hour before I decided to leave!”

“If you’ll remember what I also told you,” he replied wryly. “I said that if I’m not there then to just go down to the lab by yourself.”

“And I still don’t know where that is!” stamping her foot. “It’s not like I can move quickly from one place to another like everyone else here! Not yet anyway!”

Zexion sighed, she had a point on that one. With a forgiving little smile, he took her hand as they vanished in a black and purple mist. Seconds later they arrived in the lab where Vexen was waiting for them. Despite his tendency to become quickly annoyed at any intrusion, he regarded Alixka kindly. . 

“Until your first mission, you will be spending your days here under our watchful eye.” he said. “When you aren’t otherwise familiarizing yourself with our headquarters that is. I trust you’ve met everyone already.”

“I think so.” she replied. “That...reminds me. About my first mission…”

“I’m afraid that will have to wait.” the scientist cut her off. “Zexion and I have some work we must catch up on. There is a smaller room with some books you are welcome to but otherwise please stay where we can see you. And please try not to touch anything!”

Alixka made a face but she agreed, taking a seat on the infirmary bed in the corner while the men began their experiments. She watched them intently, interested in what they were doing. At one point two slinky white creatures appeared in the lab to give them a hand. 

“What are those creatures?” she asked. 

“They’re Dusks.” explained Zexion. “Don’t worry, they won’t harm you. They’re Nobodies like us, but they’ve failed to retain their humanity so naturally they are not considered to be among our ranks. Consider them sort of...Lesser Nobodies.” 

She didn’t find herself much afraid of the Dusk, until it opened it’s arms and produced a Shadow. The creature was fiercely contorting against the Nobody, it’s beady yellow eyes blinking uncontrollably and making Alixka flinch. . 

“A Hear…”

“It’s part of our experiment. We’ll keep it away from you.”

“But very soon you’ll have to learn not to be anxious around them.” Vexen added. “Part of your missions will be to kill Heartless, once you are properly trained and have summoned a weapon.”

She smiled a little at the thought of being able to destroy the creatures responsible for her lack of heart. Such a thought was more than a little thrilling to her. An hour or so passed, what Alixka could gather was that the men were trying to decipher if the Shadow had any form of advanced intelligence. The Dusks, despite losing their humanity, were clearly the intellectual superior to the dark creature. When they were done, they disposed of the Shadow, making her smile a little in relief. 

Vexen continued working while Zexion decided to take a break in the smaller study, chatting with Alixka more about her future with the Organization and testing her knowledge of all she had learned thus far.

“I want to learn how to teleport and create Dark Corridors.” she said. “I don’t want to always depend on you or others to move quickly.” 

“It will come to you in time.” he replied, moving to the other side of the room. “Like I said, it’s best if you don’t even think of it. Watch.”

As if it were nothing at all, Zexion vanished and appeared before her not even a second later. He then motioned for Alixka to try to do the same. After a few moments it seemed as if she wouldn’t be able to do it until a moment later when she found herself beside the young man without realizing how she had got there. The Cloaked Schemer smiled. 

“See? You weren’t even thinking about it, were you? Now, what did you want to say about your first mission?” 

Alixka hesitated, having not really thought about it until that moment. She was unsure exactly how to bring up her issue to Zexion in a way he would understand. And honestly, she did not understand it either, she certainly didn’t want to go on a mission with Marluxia, but at the same time something in her wanted to. It was so confusing to her.

Before she could respond, she thought she heard the sound of someone entering the lab. Zexion got up but she stayed behind in the smaller study, shutting the door. It was just as well because it turned out to be Marluxia. From the little window on the door, Alixka looked out at him, blushing without understanding why, and watching as Vexen and Zexion regarded him coldly.

“What do you want?” Vexen asked. “You can’t possibly need healing items, you one of the few among us who can heal without them!”

“I was wondering if Alixka was here.”

Alixka pressed her hands to her lips to suppress a gasp, heat coming to her face and flickering in her chest. Marluxia was looking for her, but for what reason? She saw as his head turned slightly to the closed door. If she had a heart, she was certain it would be beating so loudly as to give her away. Thankfully Zexion spoke up.

“You just missed her, she went off to the library.”

“Really? How odd since I was just there. I wonder…”

Marluxia’s notice turned further to the door to the smaller study, behind where Alixka stood hoping he would not open it and see her. His blue eyes were peering right into the little window and she bit her lip, but for some reason he did not seem to take notice of her. 

“Hmm, I guess not.” he said casually. “Very well then, I’ll be taking my leave.”

“Yes, good!” Vexen replied. “And next time, please do us a favor and knock!” Marluxia vanished but that did not quell Vexen’s annoyance. “I swear, none of these neophytes have any respect for us! None at all!” 

“Wouldn’t Alixka be considered a neophyte as well?” Zexion slyly asked.

“Not the point!”

“I see. Anyway....” the young man opened the door of the smaller study, slightly baffled to see that Alixka was not there, at least not for him to see. “Alixka? Are you in here? Oh dear, did she teleport agai…”

He received his answer when a strong gust of wind pushed him back and Alixka finally appeared. Something she had done had caused the wind to make her temporarily invisible, forming a barrier against anyone who came close to her. She did not understand how she did this and quickly apologized, but Zexion did not seem bothered, happy instead to see her show more of her power. It would only be a matter of time before her abilities fully began to take shape. 

The rest of the day passed, Zexion escorted Alixka back to her room at the end of the day and that was when she finally expressed her uncertainty at having Marluxia accompany her on her first mission.

“None of us were told who would accompany you.” he said. “But it was under Vexen’s impression that either I or Lexaeus would. How do you know for certain it will be Marluxia?”

She hesitated, remembering the little note now hidden under her pillow behind her.

“I...heard it from somewhere…

“I wouldn’t be surprised if whoever told you was lying to you.” his eyebrow quirked in slight amusement. “And even so, if it’s an order from Lord Xemnas, there is nothing we can do. But I will talk to Vexen about it if you wish.”

Alixka smiled at this, hopefully they would find a way to intervene. Even if she was still unsure of why exactly behind around the pink haired Nobody made her feel uncomfortable. 

~~~

The days flew by with little of consequence happening. Most days Alixka was kept in the lab beside Vexen or in the library with Zexion. Eventually she managed to gain some form of control over her wind powers, yet was still unable to control her ability to teleport.She heard nothing more about who would take her on her first mission but even so she counted the days with an odd sense of anxiousness. She was looking forward to seeing the sun again.

Saix had instructed her to spend that day familiarizing herself with the castle and by her fourth day she had more or less figured out where everything was. Alixka did not see Marluxia much during this time, only occasionally when she was passing the training room. Sometimes she would take a peek inside and watch as he sparred with the other members and soon formed the idea that he was easily one of the more powerful members of the Organization. 

He wielded his pink and green scythe with such a lethal style that she could see why he was considered “The Graceful Assassin”. The more she watched him, the more he intrigued her and slowly she began to feel less averse to the idea of their mission together. Though she still felt it best to keep her distance, thankfully he never seemed to take notice of her watching him.

On the day before her first mission, Vexen and Zexion were sent out on a quick early morning recon mission. Alixka decided then to continue exploring the castle.The long white hallways, decorated throughout with the Nobody emblem, seemed to stretch on forever; much larger than that of another castle that she had once resided in her other life. 

After almost a week of residing in this strange new place, small fragments of her memories had begun to return to her. In the first few days of her new existence everything had been more or less a blur to her but not anymore. Her memories came mostly in the form of dreams; images of the magnificent castle and the glittering fountains of her home that seemed to come out of a fairy tale, the five kind men who were her caretakers, and also…

Alixka stopped at a set of large glass doors that from outside she could see led to an immense greenhouse. This was a was a new discovery of the castle for her and she could not help her desire to explore. As she slowly pushed open the doors she was immediately taken in by the familiar scent of a greenhouse bursting with life; she remembered, yes, she had loved the flowers that grew in the gardens around her previous home. And her next home before coming to this strange place, Traverse Town, had a vast garden as well where she learned more about her botanical skills as well as her skills with magic. The memories caused a strange burning sensation to flicker in her chest that she could not understand. She wasn’t supposed to have a heart, what was this feeling?

She forced herself to move forward in order to distract herself, she recognized many of the plants as ingredients used to make things like potions and elixirs but others were new to her. In particular there were several rose bushes in every color imaginable as well as a large tree of cherry blossoms in full bloom. Toward the end, a glass roof looked out to give a view of the eternal night sky with a clear view of the heart shaped moon that would, hopefully, one day be the salvation of her and those around her. The only other room in the castle that had such a clear view of Kingdom Hearts was the Addled Impasse and Alixka knew by now that she was never to go there without explicit permission from Saix. But gazing up at it gave her a strange sense of solace that she felt she could keep.

That is, so long as no one knew she was here.

Just as the thought passed her mind she heard the glass doors open and soft footsteps coming her way, she panicked.There was no time to make a stealthy escape. And of course, she was still not yet used to summoning the Dark Corridors.

“Who’s there?”

That voice! It was Marluxia! If Alixka had a heart, she was certain it would have stopped at the sound of his voice. Butterflies fluttered wildly in her stomach as she quickly hid behind the trunk of the cherry blossom tree, crouching down and covered by some conveniently placed bushes. 

 _Now what did Zexion say to me about the corridors?_ She thought frantically. The footsteps were becoming louder.

“I know someone else is here. Reveal yourself to me!”

_Right! He told me not to think about it. That they would come to my call as naturally as blinking an eye._

It didn’t seem like the most informative advice at that moment though as she constantly shut her eyes, trying to focus her mind on where she wanted to go.  But every time she opened them, there she was in the same place as before. A part of her hoped that perhaps her wind would allow her to become invisible again, even though she still had no idea how it had been done the first time. 

All the while she did not at all notice that the footsteps had suddenly stopped and a pair of devilish blue eyes were now staring down at her from behind the tree. Marveling at his good fortune to find Alixka here of all places. This was better than he could ever have expected and he was not about to allow her to get away from him again so easily. 

“Very well, have it your way then.”

She heard the door open and close again.

Cautiously, she peeked from behind the tree to see that Marluxia was not there. Looking around her to be sure, there was no sign of him. A great wave of relief washed over her and she sighed loudly.

"I’ve stayed long enough." She smiled to herself. "Maybe now I can focus on leaving but not under duress."

Eyes closed once more, she stood up and turned to leave, extending her hand in an attempt to summon a corridor that would return her to her room. But as she did so she felt something grab hold of her hand tightly, her eyes snapped open to find a live vine wrapped around her wrist and in a second another vine slipped around the other, keeping her from escaping.

“Wha...huh? What the…”

Alixka gasped as she looked up at the graceful pink haired man, gazing at her struggling form with a sinister look in his radiant blue eyes and a smirk on his pale pink lips. She blushed in spite of herself.

_Damnit! Damnit! I was so close! How did he..._

“Well well, I’m certain I’ve never seen a flower like you before.”

“Uh...I...I’m sorry...I…”

She couldn’t finish her sentence because the next thing she knew he was standing right next to her. She tried to turn away from him but he took her chin into his hand to force her gaze to his, just as he had done in the training room a few days prior. Those wicked blue eyes flashed with amusement.

“We just keep running into each other in the most interesting ways. Don’t we, Alixka?”

He was so close to her that she could feel his warm breath ghost over her skin softly. She swallowed hard, unsure whether she disliked the contact or not.

“I take it you were enjoying my garden?”

Her violet eyes involuntarily locked with his and she could feel the heat rise in her face. It was so much easier to think kind thoughts towards Marluxia when he was not so close to her, and not touching her. She did not dislike him, but he made her feel strangely apprehensive whenever he was near. 

Between being so elegantly powerful and always hanging around the sharp tongued Larxene, there seemed to be many reasons for her not be so fascinated by him. It was a strange form of sorcery that now, with Marluxia so close to her, she could not help but find herself under in spite of her nervousness. He didn’t sound angry or annoyed so much as playfully curious. She bit her lip, refusing to let her guard down.

“Forgive me for trespassing. Saix instructed me to learn my way around the castle and…”

Marluxia removed his hand from her chin and took a lock of her long dark hair into his hand, letting the strands slide through his fingers as easily as water. He smirked again.

“You couldn’t help but be taken in by so many beautiful flowers could you?”

Alixka hesitated, she hadn’t realized at first that the vines had disappeared and her hands were free. She remained silent, she could escape at any moment if she wanted. Slowly she took a small and cautious step back from her pink haired captor, biting her lip again when she felt Marluxia place his hand on her shoulder.

“You think I’m admonishing you, but I’m not.” He tilted his head and gave her a slightly kinder look. “I’m just curious is all, what drew you to this place?”

“You...you’re right.” She replied softly. “All the plants here are beautiful, and this place has such a fine view of Kingdom Hearts…but…” Turning her face away. “...I swear I won’t come back if you don’t want me too.”

There was a long pause before another smirk covered his face.

“Oh no, it’s fine with me if you wish to come here from time to time. It’s nice to have another within our ranks that has the same appreciation for botany as myself.”

A small smile crept up on Alixka’s face, along with another strange warmth in her stomach she was not used to. She nodded and backed away to leave.

“You don’t have to leave.” Marluxia glanced at her curiously. Once again she felt the heat rise in her face. “Stay awhile. Won’t you, Rosebud?”

Again with that nickname! She bit her lip nervously, feeling that she should leave but at the same time not wanting to. “I...uh....” her words and her mind seemed to be working against each other. “I....may I?”

He chuckled and gently took her hand, there was something much kinder in his expression now but she still would not let her guard down and pulled her hand away from his grasp. They walked among the flowers together, with her following behind him, head lowered and trying her best not to notice him stealing glances of her.

“This place belongs to me.” he explained. “Plants are a specialty of mine so naturally I am interested in anyone who shares an interest in them.”

“I take it...Larxene doesn’t?” she asked hesitantly.

“She does not.” he replied. “She puts up with them to humor me but flowers were never something that held her interest.” That’s when Marluxia turned to her, bringing her glance to his with a gentle tip of his finger. “I’m sorry if she offended you the other day. I can assure you that she did not mean to.”

“Oh?” she pulled away from his touch. “It’s fine, really.”

“She can be harsh, especially to the other members she doesn’t like. But I can assure you, in your case it’s her way of saying she finds you interesting.” a teasing little grin came to his face. “And this is mine…”

From the floral bush behind him, he plucked a peculiar looking dark pink flower that was tinted gold. It was a flower Alixka had never seen before and she couldn't help but smile a little at how pretty it was, but the next thing he said to her made her blush again.

“This flower is called an Aster.” He handed it to her, taking amusement at her red tinted cheeks when she took it. “It represents patience.”

“Patience?” she looked up from the flower at him, allowing their eyes to meet. “Patience in regards to…?”

Marluxia did not respond, only continuing to smirk in a way that made her cheeks burn further. There was a certain glint in his intense blue eyes that she could not read but it made her feel strangely shy again. She backed away from him.

“I...I...it was nice seeing this place. But there...is still so much more of the castle I haven’t seen yet. I best be on my way.” 

She said this quickly as she finally managed so summon a Dark Corridor at will. disappearing in the fading black and purple one moment and finding herself in the lab in another. Zexion was right, somehow she wasn’t even thinking of it, now if only she could learn to fully control it. 

Marluxia did not try to stop her, satisfied that he now was certain of her attraction to him. This was going to be quite fun. 

~~~

Alixka went into the smaller study to wait for him and Vexen, wondering to herself why she was so drawn to Marluxia all of a sudden despite logic telling herself she should avoid him. She couldn’t understand it, but hopefully it probably wouldn't matter much soon.

The men arrived soon after this, Zexion had apparently not yet spoken to Vexen about her first mission. 

“But if you are truly worried about Marluxia, I can speak to him now and he’ll talk to Lord Xemnas. Perhaps we can have Lexaeus accompany you or maybe even Xaldin.”

Once again she hesitated. It was true that she had managed to quickly form a bond with those two, but when her eyes shifted down to the flower in her hand, she felt her mind changing once more. 

“I...don’t worry about it.” she said. “Like you said, it was probably a lie.”

“Are you sure, Alixka?” he asked, sounding strangely concerned. “It’s no trouble for me to ask. I just want to be sure you’re…”

“I said it’s fine!” she tried to laugh. “Please don’t worry about it! Whoever I’m paired with tomorrow, it really doesn’t matter in the end. So long as I get to see the sun again!”

He chuckled a little and kindly placed his hand upon her shoulder, amused that losing her heart did not make her lose her strong sense of resolve as well.

“Very well, Alixka. Whatever if agreeable with you.”

~~~

Early the following morning Alixka went, on instruction, to The Grey Area where she would be assigned to her first mission. Saix was not there when she arrived so she took a seat on one of the couches. Three or four other members were sitting silently but she noticed at once the pink haired Nobody glancing at her from across the room with her blonde companion, both of them smirking at her. 

A knot developed in her stomach as she recalled what would happen today and with that, Saix entered the room. She turned away from them and rose from her seat respectfully, biting the inside of her lip as she awaited the inevitable words to come. 

 “Alixka.” Saix said, “You will be paired with Marluxia for your first mission today.”

~~~


	4. Inheriting The Wind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alixka realizes her true power and Marluxia realizes it's strong connection to one of their fellow members.

~~~

Yet even at this moment, something in Alixka hoped that maybe she had misheard him. He couldn’t be serious right? Apparently so, just her luck. 

“Alixka, did you hear me?” Saix asked.

“I...I did.” She replied, “But...I...just thought I’d be paired with Zexion today. Marluxia, I...don’t really know him.”

Of course this was a lie and Marluxia gave a little scoff under his breath, but something in her also hoped for maybe some form of last minute intervention. She couldn’t have been more wrong. Saix raised an annoyed eyebrow at her.

“You were told to familiarize yourself with the castle and its inhabitants.” He said. “If after a week you still don’t know everyone here then who’s fault is that?”

Alixka felt his anger at her and put her head down, feeling a hand rest casually on her shoulder. Marluxia looked down at her with a teasing smirk.

“No offense taken, Saix. We have the whole day to get to know each other. Isn’t that right, Alixka?”

Somehow she managed to keep her face still even as the pink haired Nobody took her hand into his and used the other to summon a Dark Corridor, his eyes fixed on her the entire time.

“I promise to teach her well.”

~~~

The very second she thought she saw light she pulled her hand away from his and jumped out the dark portal to their destination, only to find that they were still surrounded by darkness. It appeared to be a beach of sorts with dark sand and what appeared to be a faint ball of sun in the distance of an inky sky. Not exactly what Alixka was expecting and Marluxia could sense that.

“I know, it’s not nearly as lovely as my garden. But it will suffice for our purpose today.”

“Where...are we?” She finally asked.

“The Dark Margin.” Was the answer. “This place sits on the balance of darkness and in-between. And it will be a perfect place for us to fully awaken your skills.”

“Huh?”

“If what I was told is correct, you have shown signs of your power but have yet to summon a weapon.”

“Ye..yeah that’s true.” Alixka replied. “But Lexaeus said that I would eventually...” Another knot began to form in her stomach as she watched Marluxia circle her slowly, he was wearing that same sly grin he wore when she saw him fighting with Axel.

And she quickly began to realize what the intention of this mission was going to be.

“Well then, Alixka, what better way to awaken dormant abilities than like this?”

He wasted no time and in another moment she saw Marluxia summon his scythe in a flurry of petals, she jumped back.

“Nothing personal, Rosebud.”

And with that he swung at her in a swift and elegant blow, she screamed.

_When you are facing an adversary you often don’t have time to think. So your attacks must be quick and decisive._

A strange voice rang in her head, she didn’t know where it came from but the advice seemed pretty good in this situation. Marluxia swung his scythe at her again and this time, almost on instinct, Alixka crossed her arms together and summoned a strong gust of wind that guarded her from the attack. This was one of the very few things that she had managed to develop some sense of control over. 

Honestly she had no idea what fighting Marluxia would entail so the only thing she could think of at that dire moment was to not let his scythe touch her. So she continued to summon her gale with each swing but soon it became clear that this would only work for so long. At one point her ability to become invisible set in randomly, much to her opponents surprise, but also delight.

“The wind can’t protect you forever.”

With these words he waved his arm and also vanished in a cloud of petals. Alixka turned around frantically and only managed to defend herself when he appeared again from the side of her. Their pattern of swinging and blocking continued until he soon noticed that she was only using her power to defend herself from the front and smirked again.

“Try blowing this away…”

Alixka watched as once again he vanished in a cloud of flower petals. This time he teleported behind her, slashing at her legs. It came from nowhere but something in her knew to jump forward, her body flipped out of the way of the pink blade but her landing was poor and in another second she was on her hands and knees in the sand looking up at Marluxia pointing his scythe at her with a small laugh.

“Attacking defensively will only get you so far, Rosebud.” He said. “Unlike me, the heartless are not known for their mercy.”

Heartless! A sharp pain rang in her head at the fierce recollection of that awful night. Something burned in her, she did not know where it came from but it was like the beginning of a crackling fire. Immediately she was back on her feet.

“Are you actually going to fight now, Darling?”

Alixka didn’t know exactly what she would do, or better yet, what she could do. Only that she had to change her strategy. She watched as he moved closer to her, his scythe raised but not giving any indication he would attack. With every step she made backward or to the side he made another closer to her, their eyes locked on each other. This went on for afew minutes before she realized he was toying with her, waiting to see if she would attack first.

_No. That would be too obvious._

And just like that he suddenly summoned his own gust of wind that began pulling her body towards his, she did her best to plant her feet to the ground to no avail.

_If I get too close to him, he’ll tear me to ribbons!_

Her gale answered her call at once, breaking his attack. In another second she turned around and blocked another attack from behind. A thought came to Alixka and she decided that she would try to use her wind to disarm him. This proved unsuccessful and as of yet she had shown no power besides this. She turned to face Marluxia and watched with a sudden sense of terror as he began to glow with an eerie pink aura.

“Playtime is over. Now, prepare yourself!”

He began to rise from the ground, like some sort of beautiful demon. Alixka had no idea what was happening. She summoned her wind but it did no good. What would happen now? How would he attack her now? And HOW could she protect herself? Her body burned with uncertainty. Uncertainty and something else.

_No..._

She took one last glance at up his elevated form, there was something extremely menacing on that beautiful face. The burning inside her rose in its intensity. She understood now.

**_No!_ **

She couldn’t let him attack her again. She wouldn’t let him attack her again. Instead, she would attack _him_.

**_NO!!!_ **

Her entire being felt ablaze, but not like that fateful night. This was something new, something different, something exhilarating. A sharp crack of thunder erupted and knocked Marluxia back to the ground. Alixka opened her eyes to see four violent tornadoes swirling around her in a fury of purple and silver. But that was not even the most shocking thing to her. 

In her hand she now held what appeared to be an intricate double edged spear, the color of a brilliant amethyst and flourished with the Nobody emblem on both ends. Holding it, somehow it felt like how she imagined it felt when a mother holds their newborn child for the first time. Something about it felt so natural, so right, and within a moment she was on her feet in a battle stance.

Marluxia rose to his feet and let his scythe disappear. He gazed at her no longer with that menacing look in his eyes and moved closer to her slowly. In his mind he was recalling a certain mission some weeks ago, and his partner who wielded a similar weapon in a similar style. 

“Maiden of Tempests indeed.” He murmured. “Beauty and fury. Serenity and severity.”

It took Alixka a few moments to realize that she might no longer in danger. The tornadoes vanished but she still held onto her new weapon. It then vanished as she began to lower it. Her eyes flashed with confusion.

“Fear not.” he said. “I’m not going to attack you again. And now that you have summoned it for the first time, it will always come to your call.”

Her weapon appeared in her hand again, and then vanished. It was true. He placed his hands on her shoulders in a way that made her raise her eyebrow at him. Alixka may have no longer been in danger but her apprehension where Marluxia was concerned was still there.

“So..this is my weapon then? Very well, I will master it.”

“I have no doubt, Rosebud.”

“D...don’t call me that!” Her cheeks began to burn.

“Very well then, Alixka.” He smirked. “Do you want to return now?”

When she did not respond at once he began to run his hands down her arms in a way that made her confusingly uncomfortable. She jumped back.

“You still seem shaken. We can rest for a moment if you wish.”

Alixka didn’t have time to respond for in that moment the ground began to shake under them. Several black pools surrounded the two Nobodies and from them those creatures that Alixka remembered all too well. Heartless! Marluxia summoned his scythe again.

“So much for a moment's rest.” He laughed a little. “Time for your first real test. Think you can take them on, Alixka?”

He didn’t need to ask twice! She summoned the double edged spear and began slashing at the shadows without an ounce of hesitation, making them disappear in quick puffs of darkness. Something about finally being able to fight back was thrilling to her, with her new weapon she knew she would never be rendered defenseless again.

~~~

“So the princess finally summoned her weapon?”

“Yes, what was more fascinating is her attribute. It’s very similar to Xaldin’s, not as strong but much more...volatile. If such a thing makes sense.”

“And is it also true her weapon transforms?”

“That was even more interesting. At one point a Demon Tower cornered her. I was about to help her but her spear just morphed into a staff. She used it to summon a hailstorm that engulfed the thing like it was a mere trifle.”

“And here I was thinking we may have finally found a Keyblade Wielder.”

“Really? That little mouse a Keyblade Wielder? You’ve said some stupid shit in the past, Xigbar but come on!”

“Hey, wishful thinking.”

“I suspect she won’t be such a mouse for long, if what happened today is any indication of the future.”

Xaldin was standing outside The Grey Area and couldn't help but listen in on the conversation between Xigbar, Marluxia and Larxene. This was better than he could have ever expected. He could not understand for the life of him what he was experiencing but it felt like so much more than pride, it felt like relief, joy, almost like...if he didn’t know better...love.

His desire to keep his child safe may actually come to pass now, and she was showing that she would be able to protect herself as well. For the first time in a very long time, The Whirlwind Lancer actually had reason to have optimism.

Stormborn. That was the name that Xemnas had given to her new weapon, it seemed so perfect to Alixka. She stood alone in the training room sometime later, holding her new weapon and remembering Marluxia’s words with a strange sense of pride.

_Beauty and fury. Serenity and severity._

After seven days in this strange new place, this was the first time she felt anything resembling normality. How odd. Her heart was gone, her old life a thing of a fragmented past. But she was alive with an incredible new power. And in this new existence she was determined to find purpose. Stormborn would assist her.

Xaldin watched her quietly before making himself known to her. He smiled as he watched her swing and slash at the air, occasionally summoning a gale to slash through. Most of her memories may have been lost but she still somehow remembered how to properly hold a weapon

_Just as I taught you. From the moment you awoke, so soon after being bought here, I knew you would be a fighting spirit._

This is what he thought to himself. But when he finally approached her this is what he said: “Alixka, tomorrow your mission will be with me. I’ve already spoken to Lord Xemnas so it’s a certainty. I will instruct you in how to engage in combat.”

~~~

If she had a heart, Alixka was certain it would have swelled with happiness at seeing the sun again for the first time since becoming a Nobody. The light felt so warm and inviting on her skin despite the heaviness of her dark clothing. Xaldin had taken her to a new place actually in the Realm of Light where he spent that day training Alixka and helping her master her abilities.

He saw at once that her skills were indeed similar to his but where his abilities were solely focused on the power of the wind, hers were more of the power of storms. And she only wielded one spear as opposed to his six lances. Still he saw in her considerable strength that continued to grow as the day passed. By the time the sun began set both were satisfied that Alixka had made great improvements in harnessing her powers. Now he was certain she could hold her own in battle.

“What a difference a few days makes.” He remarked with a warmth in his voice he was used to using with anyone. “You are a fighting spirit indeed, Alixka. I expect you to continue your training and not let your abilities become stagnant.”

“I understand.” Alixka replied. “I refuse to be rendered defenseless again.”

“That’s exactly what I like to hear.”

From his pocket he pulled out a small box and handed it to her. She opened it to reveal a small pair of stud earrings shaped in the Nobody emblem.

“Consider it a reward.” He said. “You’ve deserved it.”

“Thank you, Xaldin.”

A strange warmth crept up in his chest as he summoned a Dark Corridor.

“Yes, well, you’re welcome. Just remember what you’ve learned today and you will find your place in this Organization much valued.” He took her hand. “It’s time to return.”

~~~

That evening Alixka stood alone in the greenhouse staring out the window at Kingdom Hearts. Something about the luminous glow of the heart shaped moon calmed her after two intense days of training and fighting. She didn’t know what the next day would bring or even what her future would look like but she knew what her purpose now was and she would continue to chase it until she was whole again.

Alixka heard the door open and she quickly hid behind the cherry blossom tree with a little grin on her face.

“Alixka, are you in here?”

_You’re not going to get me this time, Marluxia!_

She suppressed a giggle as she vanished in a cloud of black and purple, returning to her room as quickly as blinking an eye.

~~~


	5. Merciless Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Behind her alluring gaze lies a merciless storm. Raging and ready to ensnare her next victim...

_~~~_

_“What are you doing here all by yourself, Miss?”_

_The little girl turned towards the tall figure behind her, despite knowing him now for nearly a month, she still felt a fear in his presence that she didn’t fully understand. But he work a kindly look._

_“Would you mind if I sat with you?”_

_She moved a little on the bench to make room for him, but she did not meet his glance._

_“How were your lessons today?”_

_He sighed when there was no response._

_“A month it’s been since you’ve come here, and still you are so shy, Miss.”_

_Hesitantly, she looked up at him to see a smile and rare look of affection in his violet eyes. She also smiled a little in spite of herself._

_“Lessons are going well, I guess.”_

_“You guess?”_

_“Even uses a lot of big words. Sometimes it’s hard for me to keep up with what he’s saying.”_

_He couldn’t help but laugh._

_“Yes, he does have that tendency. But remain focused and I’m sure you will be able to catch up quickly. You are an intelligent child.”_

_She glanced up at him quickly. “Intelligent?”_

_“I mean, you’re smart…”_

_“I know what it means. But…” Looking back down at her feet. “No one has ever called me that. I’m not...” In her mind she recalled a painful moment when her father had called her a half wit because she had pronounced a particular word while reading aloud. She bit her lip to prevent any tears from forming._

_“Well it’s true. Even told me about that time you helped him with that synthesis project.”_

_“That was...not very difficult.”_

_“Not to you, Miss. But if Even thought that your assistance would be helpful, that means that he also sees intelligence in you. He’s a prideful man and not one to ask help or give praise easily.”_

_It was true and she couldn’t help but giggle. A warmth was rising in her face that for a moment caused her uncertainties to melt away._

_“Perhaps I am intelligent, Dilan.”_

_“Not, ‘perhaps’. You are, Miss.”_

_Dilan smiled at her for a long moment before turning his direction to the flowers in the garden. Their petals were milky white with a variety of tints; some were pink, some were yellow, others had a pale purple tint._

_“See those flowers, Miss?” He pointed to them. “They are quite special. Do you know why?”_

_She shook her head, another smile rose on his face._

_“They share your name.”_

_Her eyes widened a little as she focused her attention on the flowers, they were quite pretty._

_“Really? You mean…?”_

_“Yes, Miss. They are called…”_

~~~

Alixka sat up in her bed for a long while after she awoke. 

A dream, a memory, from her life before the Organization and before Traverse Town. Though she could remember small fragments of her further past, it all still seemed so cloaked in shadows. The images that she saw were often a blur to her mind and she could never make out the faces of those who came into her dreams. The only thing that was clear to her was the castle, encompassed by radiant fountains and beautiful flowers. 

And this dream was particularly sweet, the tenderness bringing warmth to her chest that she could feel so vividly even in her sleep. Without realizing it, she placed her hand upon her chest where her heart would be, sighing when she felt nothing there. 

No, it wasn’t warmth, not actual warmth anyway. 

Soon after she had gotten the hang of using her weapon, Alixka had been sent out on a mission with Zexion to destroy some Heartless. She had expressed her happiness at being able to finally fight back against the dark creatures. But The Cloaked Schemer quickly marred her joy by reminding her of the cold truth of their existence.

“Emotion is something we are not capable of, Alixka.” he had told her. “We Nobodies are mere shells of people that don’t truly exist, we have no hearts. It is impossible to feel without a heart.”

“What?”

“That is why we must complete Kingdom Hearts, in order to become whole people again. Once we do, we can truly exist, and truly feel.”

She stared at him for a long time after this explanation, somehow this seemed more surreal to her than the fact that she could exist at all without a heart, even if only half existing. Her hand was placed on her chest again and she glanced down at her weapon.

“Then, when I was killing those Heartless, what was I…”

“A memory.” Zexion replied. “A memory of what it felt like to have memories, when you were a Somebody. You can act like you have emotions because you remember what it meant to have them. But alas, memories of feelings and actual feelings are not the same thing.”

It had now been a little over a month since Alixka had joined the Organization. Yet after that mission, she felt herself just as bewildered as the day she had first woken up to this existence. No emotions, no feelings; but surely she had experienced some form of those things since arriving here, right?

She had experienced shock when it had been explained to her that she no longer had a heart, and euphoria when summoning Stormborn for the first time. Her first meeting with Marluxia had brought a strange giddiness to her, and fighting with him had been terrifying. Were those things really just illusionary? 

As she finally got up to begin her day, she thought she heard the sound of footsteps passing by in the hallway. She paused but from the small window on her door she could see who was walking by. Her body froze, it was Marluxia!

If the heat rising to her face was truly an illusion, it felt no differently than if it were real and would have fooled her otherwise. Alixka blinked, glancing out the window until she was sure he had passed by. Slowly opening the door, she watched curiously as the pink-haired Nobody continued walking and seemingly not taking note of the shy violet eyes watching him from the distance. 

~~~

_Where is he? Where’d he go?!_

Turning from side to side, Alixka glanced around the training room for signs of Xigbar but he was not where to be seen, they had been training together in order to help strengthen her new skills. She shifted her attention to Xaldin who was standing in the corner with a slight smirk on her face that told her that The Freeshooter had not disappeared and to be on her guard. 

“Got ya now, Princess!” 

Glowing red crystals darted at her from behind that she only just managed to dodge. In the next moment, Xigbar was back in front of her, pointing his arrowguns at her with playful malice. Alixka pointed her spear at him, attempting to knock one of the guns away from him and making a face at how he so casually managed to block her attacks. 

“Eager, aren’t we?” He chuckled, being the more experienced fighter after all.

“If by eager you mean eager to kick your ass then yeah I am!” It may have been only a month or so but she had already begun to find herself easily annoyed by The Freeshooter and his tendency to tease her. Xaldin grinned at this.

“That’s the spirit, Alixka! Take him down!”

Encouragement from The Whirlwind Lancer served to make her more enthusiastic in her task. She still had not managed to disarm him so she decided on a new course of action. Keeping her eyes on his, Alixka took a quick glance at his legs before slashing at them, catching him off guard. 

If The Maiden of Tempests had been thinking, she could have ended the match between them right then and there. But she wanted to make a further example of the older man as well as show off something new she had learned just a few days ago. 

“And now, I got YOU!” 

She pulled her spear back from him and it transformed into a staff. Raising it above her, she whispered a brief incantation before planting it into the ground, causing a shockwave to blanket the floor around them. Alixka smiled at her certain victory but in the next moment she saw that Xigbar had vanished again, her spell had done nothing. 

“Peek-a-boo!”

Her eyes shifted to the sound of his voice and she screamed when she realized that he was now standing in midair, upside down and right above her! He fired a few glowing arrows at her that she blocked easily before suddenly closing the distance between them, and their lips.

“NO. II!” Xaldin shouted. “JUST WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!”

Several jolts went off in her chest as her mind registered what was happening. And just as quickly as he had done it, he pulled away, momentarily giving her an opening. Finally she managed to disarm him and pointed Stormborn at him in victory. Victory and annoyance. Xigbar regarded her with a sly grin, one that made her want to do more than just disarm him with her spear. But his words were directed to Xaldin.

“What? Not like it was her first kiss ever? Not with a cute little face like that!” 

His yellow glance locked with the older mans angry violet one as they both silently recalled a very similar instance where someone had kissed her and Xaldin had been equally as enraged. Alixka did not notice this of course, she pointed her weapon at her opponents nose.

“Cheater!” She spat out. “You fucking cheater!”

“As if! But you almost had me. You’re getting better, Princess!” 

Alixka continued to glare at him, finding herself more confused than angry. She certainly did not like Xigbar kissing her, but at the same time he did not seem to mean any harm. More so she was pissed at losing, just when she thought she was getting the hang of her new power. Heartless may have been no match for her, but apparently Xigbar still was. She laughed in spite of herself.

“See, Xaldin? She doesn’t mind.” He leaned into her and gave her another teasing grin. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say she enjoyed it…”

“WRONG!”

Xigbar had crossed the line again and in response she struck him in the legs, bringing him to his knees. Now it was Xaldin’s turn to laugh and Xigbar too, though not as loudly. Alixka was about to call it a day when the door of the training room swung open and Axel walked in. A smile came to her face, she had been secretly hoping for an opportunity like this.

“Yo, new girl!” he grinned. “Getting the hang of your new skills?”

“I am! In fact, I was wondering if you’d like to help me test them out!” she pointed her spear at him in a half-serious, half-playful way. “Unless you’re still worried you’d be ‘too easy’ for me!”  

Clearly she was still sour about Axel’s “well intentioned” attempts to get her better acquainted with Marluxia. He could tell by the look of indignance in her eyes concealed as mirth. 

“As fun as it would be to get my ass kicked by you, I’m afraid I’m gonna have to give you a rain check!” he smirked. “I’m actually here on orders from Saix. He wants to see you. You too, old man!”

By the look he gave Xigbar, it was obvious he was referring to him. She made a face, that must have meant a mission for them. With a loud sigh, she made Stormborn vanish and The Freeshooter laughed and slapped her shoulder.

“Don’t act so thrilled, Princess! I’m sure we’ll have tons of fun together!”

“Not TOO much fun!” Xaldin chuckled, seeming to know exactly what Alixka was thinking. 

“Pfft, killjoy. Anyway, let’s head there now, Princess. Don’t wanna keep Saix waiting!” 

He and Axel vanished, but not before Alixka promised the redhead that she would take him up on that rain check the second she had the chance. She was about to follow behind them when Xaldin noticed her staggering, as if something was ailing her. He knew what it was but when he asked about it, she casually brushed him off.

“Do you recall what I explained to you the other day about Limit power?” he asked.

“That it’s the strongest power we possess.” she replied. “And that it should only be used in dire circumstances.”

“Correct. And do you recall what else I told you?”  she hesitated and he continued. “That such power should also be used sparingly. I noticed when you were fighting with Xigbar that you used part of your Limit when it wasn’t necessary.”

“I know I did, but it was only half. I didn’t think it made a difference if…” as she said this, Alixka found herself becoming extremely weak all of a sudden and losing her footing. Xaldin caught her before she could fully meet the ground and tutted. 

“And the reason such power must be used sparingly is because using it requires so much energy to harness. And with your powers still new to you…” he paused, deciding it best not to finish the statement. Instead he handed a vial of potion to the girl with a look that said that she should take it immediately, which she did. “Until you get a better grip on your abilities, I would strongly advise you not rely too much on Limits. For your own safety. Understood?”

Alixka didn’t like this but she agreed, at least this explained to her why she always felt so winded after using half her Limit power. She always felt as if the power itself was consuming her but she strangely enjoyed it, having such strength to wield over the dark enemies she fought on a daily basis. It was extremely thrilling, even if it was at the expense of her stamina. All the more incentive to become stronger. 

~~~

Daily missions were one of the highlights of Alixka’s day. Being able to visit the Realm of Light and fight the Heartless were two things she had come to like best in this existence, a respite from the dullness of The World That Never Was. The only thing she did not like was having to do these missions with others. 

While she liked most of the members well enough, she honestly would have preferred solo missions if she could be allowed to take them, but she had not been in the Organization long enough to be trusted with such responsibility. The only member she actually enjoyed going on missions with was Xaldin but unfortunately, such was not her luck today. Hopefully this would be quick. 

Dwarf Woodlands was a rather intriguing world. Ominous forests contrasted strongly with beautiful meadows and the grand castle in the distance. Through a murky swamp, Alixka followed behind Xigbar as they searched for their target, a group of large winged Heartless called Dustfliers. 

“They're tricky fuckers.” he told her. “Showing up when you least suspect them, so keep those pretty little eyes open!”

The forest was dark and kind of creepy, with barren trees hollowed out to seem to be making grotesque faces at them. There was a distinct feeling of them not being alone but as of yet, no Heartless had been seen. When Alixka thought she heard a piercing screech in the distance, she jumped but quickly composed herself, not wanting to seem scared. 

“That was weird,” she said, trying to sound unbothered. “That didn’t sound normal.” 

It wasn’t normal and in the next moment a strong gust of wind rattled through the trees and nearly knocked the two Nobodies off their feet. Xigbar just managed to keep Alixka on her feet by catching her in his arms. 

“Whoa there, Princess! Don’t go swooning on me!” he smirked down at her as she pulled away from him roughly.

“Shut up!”

She shot him an angry look and was about to say something else when another strong wind passed through the forest followed by a screech, the exact same piercing sound Alixka had heard before. That's when she directed her eyes to the sky and saw a brown winged beast gliding above them, large enough to block out the sun. Their target!

“Well that wasn’t so hard!” Alixka said as her spear appeared in her outstretched hand.

“Don’t get excited yet! We still need to take it down!” he summoned his arrowguns with another smirk. “Think you’ll have better luck fighting this Heartless than you did me?” 

“HA! Watch me!” 

The Freeshooter had been a particular thorn in her side all day and she was more than a little excited to show him what she was truly made of. Alixka gave chase to the Dustflier, following the monster out of the creepy forest and into the meadow. It swooped down to her, scattering the flowers and making their petals dance in the air as it lunged in her direction. 

Alixka crossed her arms together to form a powerful gale that came to her defence before the Dustflier could collide with her. But it was a powerful creature, shooting fireballs at her and forcing her to hold guard longer than expected while Xigbar began shooting at it from behind. This turned the monster’s direction to him and temporarily away from her, long enough for her to take her spear and begin slashing at it. 

“Do us a favor and die, won’t you?! Go back to Hell where you belo…”

The monster took to the sky again with Alixka still slashing at the back of its neck. She screamed as the Dustflier began circling the sky with her on it’s back trying to hold on and kill it at the same time. If this was not difficult enough, three more Dustfliers appeared, swooping down at her. 

She decided then to transform Stormborn from spear to staff and summoned a hailstorm that engulfed one of the creatures while another flew off in the opposite direction for her partner to take care of. Which he did with relative ease. Where the third went, she did not know but she hoped her magic had taken care of it as well. The Dusflier she was still standing on flipped in midair, throwing her off it’s back and crashing down into the grass.

“I don’t think he appreciated you riding him like that.” Xigbar chuckled, earning him a murderous violet glare. 

“Me riding it is gonna be the least of it’s problems in a minute!” 

“Heh! I like your spirit, Princess! It’s kinda hot! No wonder you’ve caught Pretty Boy’s eye!” 

“HUH?!” angry blush shot up her face that for a moment she forgot about the Heartless circling them from above. “The fuck are you talking about?!”

“I’m talking about Marluxia! Of course!” the enraging smirk on his face becoming wider as he leaned into her and took in her angry, flustered expression. “He’s got the hots for you, isn’t it obvious? Can’t say I blame him, he’s got good taste!”

“UGH! I don’t know what you’re talking about!” of course, this was a lie, but Alixka didn’t want to give further thought to this, at least not yet. Not until they had taken care of the Heartless. She ran into it’s direction but Xigbar apparently wasn’t done with teasing her just yet.  

“I’m sure riding him would be a lot more fun than riding a Heartless!” 

“Fuck off, Xigbar! Before I do to you what I’m about to do to this monster!”

“Oh? You mean you wanna ride me too?”

“I SAID FUCK OFF!” in a fit of rage, she raised her staff to the sky and waved it in such a way to get the Dustflier’s attention. “Come and get me!”

The Heartless was more than happy to comply, swooping back down towards her. But as it touched the ground, a large shockwave was created that temporarily left her stunned. She recovered from it quickly and continued her attack. 

“I can make shockwaves too, asshole!” 

Her staff was planted into the ground before the Dustflier could take back to the sky. The resulting shockwave nearly consumed the monster and was finished off with a few waves of silvery lightning. 

As she saw it disappear in a cloud of darkness, Alixka collapsed onto the ground, her body thoroughly spent. Xigbar went to help her up but she refused his help, strangely enough, she was laughing. That had been her first time taking on such large Heartless and she couldn’t help but feel a little proud of herself. 

“So, how many hearts do you think that monster was holding?” she asked as she brought herself to her feet. 

“Doesn’t matter.” replied The Freeshooter, losing all playfulness in his tone. “It wasn’t taken down with a Keyblade so it’s no use to us.”

“Huh?” She turned to him with curious annoyance. “But Xaldin told me that Kingdom Hearts was made of a bunch of captive Heartless that are stolen from the Heartless.”

“True enough, but the only way to gather those hearts is with a Keyblade.” 

“Keyblade?” 

“It’s a special key shaped weapon that has the ability to unlock hearts taken by the Heartless, among other things. A Keyblade wielder is really the only way we can complete Kingdom Hearts.”

“What?”

This was the first time Alixka had ever heard of a Keyblade, or that it was needed to complete Kingdom Hearts. If that was true, then how was the Organization going to complete this task of becoming whole again? Without a Keyblade? She glanced at the man’s arrowguns and then at her spear. 

“Why am I just hearing about this?”

“Well, we didn’t feel like you really needed to know.” he replied rather casually. “You didn’t summon one at the Dark Margin.”

“So, what you’re telling me is that we can kill Heartless but we can’t gather their hearts without a Keyblade?”

“That’s right.” he grinned. “But don’t feel too bad, Princess. You’re not so bad with your spear. You took down that Dustflier and I barely had to help you!” 

“UGH!” 

Xigbar’s patronizing remarks, as she felt them to be, just seemed to make Alixka angrier. Fire burned in her chest with such intensity that almost seemed real. 

_I don’t have a Keyblade, I can’t help complete Kingdom Hearts. So, what’s the fucking point?!_

As she asked herself this, another gust of wind pushed her forward. That’s when she remembered the other Dustflier, hidden from them until that very moment. She glared up at the monster, a fierce violet glow coming to her eyes that her partner understood well. 

“I’ll take care of this one, Princess.” he said, summoning his weapon once more. “I think you deserve a rest.” Immediately she was on her feet, her weapon drawn, the rage boiling within her. The same frightening purple glow that illuminated her eyes now came over her entire body. “Don’t push yourself! I said I got this one!”

But Alixka did not hear him, nor was she aware of anything besides the cursed Heartless and how much she wanted to tear it apart. Because of the Heartless, she was a Nobody, because of the Heartless, she had no heart. And what was worse, she now realized that she would not have her humanity back anytime soon because she didn’t have a Keyblade. All because of these dark monsters! 

“We’re a lot a like, wouldn’t you say?” the sky darkened as she raised her spear at the Dustflier coming towards her, it extended and became sharper. “You’re never thirst for hearts is never satisfied. WELL NEITHER IS MY THIRST TO KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!!!” 

Wildly and frantically, she swung her weapon at the Heartless, several sharp blades of ice emitted from it that tore through the creature like paper. It’s wail of expiration was thrilling to her ears but she was not done with it. A cloak of silvery purple lightning covered her as she charged at the monster, and with one final blow from her spear, it was finished. 

Alixka laughed as it vanished in a puff of darkness, the last thing she saw before her own vision went blurry and then completely black. 

~~~

“WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED XIGBAR?! EXPLAIN YOURSELF NOW!”

“It wasn’t my fault! I tried to tell her, and hey, at least we now know what her True Limit is.” 

“This is the LAST place for your humor, No. II! I swear, if anything has happened to her…” 

“She’ll be fine! She's got alotta moxie! Using her True Limit once isn't gonna kill her!"

“How can you be so sure?!” 

“I’M saying it, she’ll be fine!” 

Xigbar, Xaldin and Vexen argued among themselves as Alixka lay unconscious on the infirmary bed, shifting violently every now and then and breathing erratically. Not only had she used her Limit power, but she had also summoned her True Limit for the first time. The power had consumed the Heartless but was so volatile that it had nearly consumed her as well. With the result that she was now in critical health. 

The Whirlwind Lancer hovered over her, his normally stony disposition betrayed into frantic concern. He seemed to be the only one seriously concerned for her but considering their connection, such concern was not unnatural. Vexen examined her. 

“She’ll awaken within a day.” he said. “The damage was great but thankfully it will not be permanent.”

But this did not calm Xaldin’s fears. It was so odd to him, that he could experience something so close to fear as he squeezed her hands and searched her face for any trace of consciousness. Wasn’t such a thing impossible without a heart? Finally he sighed and addressed the men behind him.

“There is not to be a word spoken about what has happened here. Understood?” his voice intentionally low. “I don’t want Lord Xemnas to catch wind of what has happened. He may consider her weak, too weak to be among our ranks. Too weak to…” His violet eyes squeezed shut, a strange wet sensation burning in them. “Until she has awakened. I will remind her again the danger of using her Limit power recklessly and hopefully this will all blow over quickly.”

~~~

And so it was, Xigbar agreed not to speak a word about what had happened on their mission and for a while it seemed as if it wouldn't matter anyway. The Dustfliers had been dealt with and therefore the mission was considered a success. Alixka continued to lay in a semi comatose state for the rest of the day with little sign of waking anytime soon. Yet, there were few things that were completely private within the Organization. And even with the three men agreeing not to speak about what had happened, somehow the information passed through the walls of the lab, in some miraculous way. 

After seeing how volatile her powers were firsthand, it was not very surprising to Marluxia that this had happened as he stood beside Alixka still unconscious in the lab. Vexen had stepped out momentarily and with no one else in the lab, he had decided to come in and see if what Larxene had told him was true, apparently it was. He watched her for a long time as she slept, his mind aswarm with thoughts that he was not expecting and didn’t fully understand. 

_Silly girl, how could you be so reckless? And before we could really have the privilege of knowing you better._

In that moment, she shifted in her sleep and Marluxia surprised himself by placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. She felt warm and a sudden thought came to him. Closing his eyes, his hand remained on her shoulder as he focused his mind on something, then began to whisper an incantation that caused her to writhe more in her sleep before returning to stillness. This was one of his own unique abilities, the ability to restore nearly anything back to perfect health regardless of the damage. He always thought it rather ironic, considering the true attribute of his powers. 

But it worked, her breathing was less erratic and her body more still, until it was clear that she was now merely sleeping. Soon it appeared as though she might wake but Marluxia touched her shoulder again, casting a sleep spell. He didn’t understand why, but felt as if he didn’t want his presence to alarm her if she did happen to wake. And also felt that she could use the extra rest. A soft sound of dreamy contentment escaped her lips that brought a smile to his face.

_No, I can’t have you dying, Alixka. Not when you’re probably the only one here I actually find intriguing besides Larxene._

“What’s going on here?!” 

His moment alone with her was cut short with the arrival of Xaldin. Marluxia turned to meet his angry violet eyes and quickly moved away from the sleeping girl behind him.

“Larxene needed an ether and that’s why I’m here.” he lied. “I didn’t realize…”

“No, you DIDN’T realize!” snapped the older man. “Because no one knows what has happened to Alixka.”

 _I’m not so sure how true that is, if Larxene could find out and tell me._ These were Marluxia’s thoughts but he remained silent as Xaldin walked over to the bed and continued speaking. 

“And I would thank you to keep it that way. I don’t want word of this getting to Lord Xemnas.”

The younger man glanced at the older one with a raised eyebrow. This was completely unlike Xaldin, completely against his nature notwithstanding his lack of heart. The Whirlwind Lancer was a harsh man, unpleasant to be almost brutish. Never did Marluxia ever know him give concern to anything and again his thoughts returned to those he had when Alixka first summoned her weapon. 

_Similar in both appearance and weapons. And why should Xaldin care what Lord Xemnas does with a reckless greenhorn that hasn’t yet mastered her abilities? Unless, perhaps…_

Marluxia said nothing more, he knew it would be unwise to do otherwise. He agreed to Xaldin’s request and left the lab without another word, but now he found himself even more curious about The Maiden of Tempests than ever before. He knew she would live and as soon as she was active again, he would find the answers to his questions and satisfy that curiosity. In more ways than one. 

~~~

_“Are you for real, little girl?”_

_With a wave of his hand, a hoard of dark green monsters surrounded her. She could feel her body freezing with terror. But something else in her told her she had to fight, to get as far away from this dark masked figure as possible. She swung her stick at him, hoping to get him away from her but he grabbed it with alarming switness. He snapped it with ease and that’s when she understood the real danger she was now in._

_This was bad, with no means of defending herself she could think of nothing else to do except run. But the masked boy moved with lightning quickness to block her escape and knocked her back down to the ground. She glared up at him, hot tears beginning to blur her vision._

_“How dare you?! You son of a…”_

_“Pathetic.”_

_The masked boy summoned a weapon, sharp and jagged and ready to send her to her doom. She struggled to get back to her feet but her ankle was weak and she fell back to her knees, terror choking at her voice and blinding her vision._

_“GET AWAY FROM HER!!!”_

_In an instant something powerful blew the masked boy off of his feet, he came crashing to the ground but immediately regained composure, charging at the girl before being smacked back forcefully._

_“Dilan!”_

_“Stay out of this, old man!”_

_Dilan stared down at her, trembling and struggling to stand, and then glared at the masked boy. His lance pointed at the boy with intent to kill._

_“You picked the wrong child to mess with, you bastard! YOUR END IS NOW!”_

_What she felt as she saw him fight off the masked assailant, she could not describe. But it was like he had become a completely different person, she knew he was a guardsman and that his duty was to protect her, but never had she seen him fight, certainly not like this. It was terrifying but strangely awe inspiring, how wonderful it must be so be so powerful._

_“Oh don’t think for a moment I’m going to let you walk from this alive.”_

_The man sounded so calm, so composed, and so completely unafraid as his lance pressed against the boys neck. It was at that moment that she knew what she wanted for herself, more than anything in the world. She wanted to be strong, she wanted to be powerful, and more than anything else, she never wanted to be rendered defenseless again. She wanted to be like Dilan, and be able to fight back against those who had hurt her in the past, and those who might mean to harm her in the future._

_Another dream, another memory._

~~~

“Xaldin, what happened?”

Alixka was awake a few hours later, feeling completely rejuvenated, as if she had not been in a coma for the last day. She knew she had taken out the last Dustflier, but she could not recall what had occurred afterward or even how she had returned to the castle. 

Her mentor explained all of this to her, how she had collapsed almost immediately after using her True Limit and how she had been unconscious since. What he did not tell her was just how she was now feeling better or about her graceful visitor who had healed her. 

“Why, Alixka?” he sighed. “And after I specifically told you about the danger of using your Limit. What could have spurred you to be so reckless? So…”

“I don’t know what came over me.” she replied. “I was just...so angry, so full of rage after Xigbar told me that it didn’t matter how many Heartless I killed because I don’t have a Keyblade.” 

Xaldin sighed again and in a surprising move, especially for him, he placed his arm around Alixka. He understood her anger, he often felt it too. It was one of the few emotions he felt himself still capable of even in this hollow existence. 

For nearly four years since coming to this life, he often questioned how long he would have to live like this, with no sign that it would ever end. In nearly four years the only ounce of hope he had ever had was her arrival and seeing her become so strong in so little time. It was Alixka that was pushing him to continue and push on past his despair, of course he understood.

“I remember when I first held my weapon, I felt so capable, almost euphoric if Nobodies could feel such a thing.” she went on. “But now I get it, I’m useless. I don’t have a Keyblade so I’m useless to the Organization!”

“Don’t say that!” he snapped. “I won’t hear that sort of speak from you! You are NOT useless!”

“But I don’t…”

“That doesn’t matter! Keyblade or not, you have a strong will, strong enough for you to hold on to your humanity. Strong enough to be given a new life and a chance to return to it. Keyblade or not, you have a purpose here, Alixka. You are far from useless!” 

Her hands clenched the sheets and turned away from him. If Nobodies were truly incapable of feeling, no one could tell her that in that moment as she felt something extremely heavy in her chest. She sighed.

“I won’t use my Limits anymore.” she said. “I promise, unless I’m in real danger.”

“Good.” Xaldin nodded. “Wait until you have a stronger grip on your abilities. That will take time but once you’ve done that, tapping into that power won’t be as intense to your being.” Gently he took her hands into his and helped her to her feet. “But as to your True Limit, I must beseech you to never use that power again. It is far too unstable. Understood, child?” 

Alixka agreed and looked up into his hard face to find a rare look of kindness, almost affection. A strange warmth came to her chest that replaced the heaviness, and again felt deceptively real. 

~~~

“A solo mission? You mean, I go out on my own?”

“Yes, that is normally the definition of ‘a solo mission’.”

It was a morning a few days later. If Xemnas had any notion of what had happened to Alixka, he gave no hint of knowing and it was now decided that she could be trusted to conduct a solo mission. And she could hardly conceal her excitement.

She turned around to locked glances with her mentor, sitting next to Xigbar on one of the couches behind her. He nodded and gave her a little smile that told her that he was just as enthusiastic for her as she was even if he did not show it. But The Freeshooter chuckled. 

“Try and come back in one piece, Princess!” he said. “You may be on your own today, but that doesn’t mean doing anything crazy!” 

“Hmph! Nice to know you have so much faith in me!” she replied sarcastically. “Your concern is touching, but unneeded!” 

She had been waiting for this moment, she wasn’t about to do anything to ruin it. Saix gave her instructions for the day: to take out a stealth Heartless that had surfaced. Because this was a world that none of the members had previously visited, she was expected to conduct recon as well. 

“This marks a shift in your position with the Organization.” he said to her as she summoned a corridor to leave. “Complete this mission with success, and you will be allowed more solo missions in the future.”

~~~

Alixka had not yet been to that many worlds, but somehow she knew that this one she would grow to love best out of all of them. The sun was bright, its rays shimmering upon the ocean as gulls circled and circled in the perfect blue sky. 

 _Such a beautiful place._ She thought. _Heartless must have a lot of nerve attacking this world._

She soon realized that she was on an island, from the mountain she stood upon, she could see the ocean surrounding her and down below she could see a large clearing where a village was situated. One thing that quickly caught her attention was that there was a similarly large clearing closer to the shore with loggings that appeared to be abandoned, as if the inhabitants had purposely left the area to set up camp further away from the ocean. 

_Interesting, I wonder why._

But before she could give further thought to this, Alixka noticed a strong rustling in the trees below, close to the village. It didn’t seem like a normal wind and she immediately thought that it might be her target. Into the forest she went, searching for any sign of the Heartless. For a while she heard nothing more, and she was coming dangerously close to the village. One of the first rules of missions that had been drilled into her was the importance of remaining covert, to never let the inhabitants of the worlds they visited become aware of their presence, lest their suspicion impede them from the Organization’s work. 

_I can’t go any further! Where the hell is this Heartless?!_

Alixka was about to return to the mountains when something sharp struck her in the back of her neck. She turned around, her weapon drawn, but saw nothing, she couldn’t have imagined it and would not let her guard down. Soon she heard the same rustling from before, she could see the branches of the trees sway violently on their own, like something was climbing them. 

_Wait a sec! Saix said that this was a stealth Heartless! What if it’s…_

It was invisible! That was the only thing that made sense to her. She watched the trees intently for any sign of the monster, pointing her spear and ready to strike at the slightest sign of it. The rustling continued and she summoned a powerful gale to knock the creature out of the tree. This proved successful but the moment it hit the ground, it’s color changed to reveal itself and it ran off into the direction of the village. 

_Damnit! Damnit! Damnit!_

It was a large Heartless, like a giant lizard. Alixka knew she couldn’t allow herself to be seen but at the same time she knew the Heartless had to be dealt with. What was worse was that if the creature came into contact with others, it may attack them and steal their hearts. She couldn’t allow THAT to happen either!

Her decision was made and she gave chase, following the ensuing screams of people into a clearing of coconut trees where she found the reptile climbing up one of them and causing havoc. It became invisible again but Alixka could see where it was and could see it’s silhouette moving from one tree to another. She transformed Stormborn from spear to staff and jumped up into one of the trees, aiming her weapon at the creature and summoning a swirl of fireballs that knocked it out of the trees and back to the ground. But it was still alive, thankfully it appeared most of the people had run off. 

Back on the ground, Alixka had a better time keeping up with the Heartless now that she knew where it was. It was still invisible, at one point all she could see was its glowing yellow eyes and revolting tongue reaching out to her, grabbing hold of her spear and trying to toss her around. But she kept her footing and managed to yank her weapon back and sever its tongue, forcing it visible. It screamed and once again retreated back to the trees, but it would not escape The Maiden of Tempests. 

“Let my tempest consume you!” 

From spear to staff again, she was about to coat the ground with a shockwave to destroy the monster, until she remembered that they were surrounded by coconut trees, this area was a source of food for the inhabitants and she couldn’t destroy it. Instead she ran up to the tree and taunted the monster to come to her, which it did. As it leapt forward towards her, she pointed her staff at it and summoned a flurry of purple lightning that consumed the monster at last in one final wail.

Her first solo mission was complete. Stormborn vanished from her hands and she smiled to herself with a great sense of accomplishment satisfaction. She was about to leave the area when she heard what sounded like a soft gasp. Her head turned and her eyes met with those of a young girl, a little younger than herself, her dark eyes wide and her mouth slightly gaped.

They stared at each other but from the look in the girls eyes, Alixka could see that she was not afraid. Rather she appeared to be astounded, in awe, almost... _in reverence._  

No. This was bad, she had broken a cardinal rules of missions and she would surely be punished for it if it was found out. Alixka could think of nothing else to do except escape the area as soon as she could. And that’s exactly what she did. 

~~~

“Look, I know that was a huge no-no, what happened back there.” Alixka said to a bunch of Dusks that had been assigned to her that day. “But I couldn’t let that Heartless get away, or worse. So what do I need to do so you won’t inform Lord Xemnas?”

Naturally they did not respond to her, not in any way that she could understand. One of them swayed around her in a way that did not seem malicious, hopefully they would understand where she was coming from. But to be sure, Alixka pulled from her pocket several ten munny pieces and dropped them into the hands of the Lesser Nobodies. 

“I know bribery is crude, but I’m really not trying to get turned into one of you guys. No offence.”

But the Dusks did not seem to be offended in the slightest. They vanished and Alixka found herself by herself once more. She was now sitting on the white sandy shore of the island, not too far from the abandoned houses. For a while she stared out at the watery horizon, feeling herself truly relaxed for the first time in days. It was going to be difficult to return to The World That Never Was after being in a world like this. 

The sound of a cracking piece of driftwood brought Alixka’s mind back to reality, footsteps. She wasn’t alone anymore and that’s when she noticed the girl from before, watching her. Despite knowing that she should not be interacting with Somebodies, Alixka found herself curious about her. And clearly she was curious about Alixka. 

“I...I don’t know where you came from.” she began hesitantly. “But thank you, for destroying that monster.”

The Maiden of Tempests smiled at her, she seemed nice and did not seem afraid or suspicious of her. She was about to say something to her when they felt a strong gust of wind coming from the sea. The waves rose to dangerous heights and the girl ran off, back into the direction of the village. 

“Oh no, not again!” she said. “Hurry up, before it gets us!” 

“Has this happened before?!” Alixka asked. “What is it?!” 

“Another monster! Two of them!”

And with these words, the skies went dark, clouded by the wings of two large winged Heartless. Dustfliers! 

_Damnit, Saix! You didn’t tell me I’d be dealing with THESE fuckers too!_

Her weapon was drawn as she watched them fly out to the sea. The way they glided along the water caused more high waves and Alixka began to understand why the houses behind her had been abandoned. The tidal waves caused by the Dustfliers must have made it impossible to live so close to the sea. But Alixka would take care of them now. 

The girl had run off, but stayed behind long enough to see the older girl raising her weapon to take on the winged beasts. It was rather inspiring. She wanted to be strong like this fierce lady, she knew she would have to be in order to be a good leader of her people, a role she had been prepared for from the moment she first opened her eyes. 

It didn’t matter at that moment that Alixka did not have a keyblade, she would take down these monsters and prevent them from terrorizing the inhabitants a moment longer. This time, fighting them proved easier than in Dwarf Woodlands, now that she understood how they moved and how they attacked. One of the Dustfliers returned to the shore, charging at Alixka but she managed to avoid an inevitable collision with a gale that pushed the monster back to sea. She ran into the water and slashed at the creature before it could create a shockwave along the waves, finishing it off with a flurry of hail. 

There was only one left, it circled above her, spitting fireballs that Alixka dodged with ease before it swooped back down into the waves. The resulting gale pushed her back to the shore and before she could stand again, it created a shockwave that covered the beach and the sea. Temporarily stunned, she glared at the monster. And for the briefest moments, she thought about using her Limit. 

_No. I can’t! Not after I promised Xaldin that I wouldn’t! Not until I’m stronger._

The monster was lunging for her again, she had to stop it before it returned to the shore. Back on her feet, she summoned another gale, stronger than before, that pushed the monster back to sea. For a moment, she thought about her next course of action when a soft, natural wind passed through her hair and carried itself out to sea. This gave her an idea. 

Alixka returned the waves, her eyes not leaving the monster for a single moment. It took a few moments longer but finally, another natural wind came and she closed her eyes, focusing on it. At the right moment, her eyes bolted open and she manipulated the wind to accelerate her body towards the monster. Her spear drawn, she slashed at the creature's neck in a swift and critical blow. It wailed and began to fall back into the waves but it was still alive, though for long. The wind answered her call once more and propelled her back into the sky she summoned hail that pelted down on the Heartless mercilessly and finally, when it’s attention was away from her, she plunged downward, running her spear through the Dustflier and destroying it. 

Breathless and exhilarated, Alixka returned to the shore and fell back into the sand. Gazing up at the sky and marveling to herself that she had actually managed to fight off three large Heartless without the use of her Limit power. She closed her eyes and smiled, feeling herself drift off to sleep before being interrupted by the sound of footsteps once more. She got up but found herself not completely suprised anymore to see the young girl watching her with admiration.

“Those monsters won’t trouble you again.” Alixka smiled. “So your people can return to the shore.”

“That was AMAZING!” the girl rushed towards her and took her hands excitedly. “The way you took down those creatures! How the wind carried you! It was incredible! YOU are incredible!”

The older girl laughed. Keyblade or not, she had destroyed the monsters and earned this young girls reverence. It felt odd to her, that a Somebody could think so highly of her as a Nobody but it was endearing to her nevertheless. In her mind, Alixka thought of her most recent dream, of the person who had defended her against monsters, and how much she wanted to be strong just like that person. This girl’s admiration reminded her of that. 

“Thank you.” she said. “But your praise is not necessary. Fighting those creatures, it’s what I do.”

“But it’s wonderful! You truly have the heart of a warrior!” Alixka bit back a little scoff in spite of herself. Clearly this girl was not aware of the nature of Nobodies and in the next moment, she began to pull Alixka towards her village. “You have no idea how much trouble those monsters were giving my people! Please! Allow us to thank you properly!”

Alixka knew that what the girl was suggesting was against every rule in the Organization’s handbook, but at the same time, she found herself not really caring. Her praise was moving her in a way she did not understand nor could she describe, but she was enjoying it. And there was something about this girl that she enjoyed as well, so much so that she felt it wouldn’t be so bad to break the rules a little while longer. 

~~~

Her name was Moana, the daughter of the chief of Motunui, that was the name of this world. Alixka spent the remainder of the day with her, became acquainted with her family, and was even surprised when she challenged her to a sparring match. It turned out to be a wonderful day, a perfect way to end a successful mission and if Alixka was truly being honest with herself, she really did not want to RTC. 

But she knew she had to, and so it was with extreme reluctance that she finally parted with Moana, promising to return if the monsters caused havoc for her people again. Back at the castle, she reported her success to Saix and received another round of praise from Xaldin for completing her first solo mission without any problems.

“The first of many!” he told her. “Though you have only been here a month, you are shaping up well, child. You will become a most valued member yet!”

As she finally returned to her room for the evening, Alixka found herself passing the greenhouse. She had not visited there in a few weeks and she thought about going in for a few minutes before sleeping. But as she pushed the glass door open, she noticed at once that the greenhouse was not empty. 

Marluxia stood among his many flowers and plants, watering them and tending to their growth. Alixka watched him for a few minutes, unsure if she should continue inside or return to her room. She thought about what Xigbar had said to her a few days earlier, and felt as her face warmed at the thought of what that meant.

_He’s got the hots for you, Princess! You’ve caught Pretty Boy’s eye!_

The more she thought about it, the redder she felt herself becoming, until she felt that it would probably be best to leave. The thought passing her mind a little too late. 

“Good evening, Alixka.” He turned to her with a certain smile that she could not tell if it was meant to be sincere or teasing. But she returned it all the same. “I’m tending to my plants. Would you like to join me?” 

“Oh…no...I…” she bit her lip, unsure again of what she truly wanted or even what she originally meant to say. She noticed him slowly approaching her and she lowered her head. “I don’t want to intrude, I’ll leave…”

“Intrude? Perish the thought.” he chuckled and extended a kind hand to her, making her eyes flutter. “You know, we’ve not had much time to interact since you’ve begun your missions.”

“I know, but it’s late. I was just stopping by. I should really...I should really…” she found herself looking her train of thought with her words tumbling over each other, causing him to chuckle again. The kindly look in his eyes melting into devilishness. 

“What's wrong? Are you still frightened of me, Rosebud?”

“HUH?! NO! I’m not!”

“Then why are you so hesitant?”

“I...I...NO! I’M NOT! AND MY NAME IS ALIXKA!” 

She forced herself to disappear in a cloud of black and purple, reappearing in the next moment in The Hall of Empty Melodies. It wasn’t exactly what she was expecting but it would do, just anywhere from Marluxia and from the strange warm feelings his presence always stirred within her. From where she stood, she had a good view of Kingdom Hearts. Gazing up at it, she felt the warmth in her chest calming itself and soon enough, she continued walking back to her room. And finding herself developing a slightly more positive outlook than a few days earlier. 

~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YOU SEE THAT YEN SID?! Xaldin actually WARNS Alixka about the danger of using game-breaking mechanics before she ends up killing herself! What's your excuse for fucking Sora over, binch ass hoe!
> 
> Okay, bullshit aside, Moana was going to appear again in a later chapter of Lights Lessons. But since that work is on indefinite hiatus, I decided to let her make an appearance here since it was established that she and Alixka had met at least once prior to the events of Seeking Purpose. A friend of mine commented that I must be extremely salty about Moana not making an appearance in KH3 since she's appeared 3 times so far in my fics. And to answer that...
> 
> ...yeah, I am. I really am! I don't care if the movie came out after KH3 was well into production, it would have been such an awesome fucking world and she and Maui would have been awesome party members! If they are not in KH4, I swear to God.


	6. Loudly Unspoken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three months have passed and Alixka is beginning to get the hang of life in the Organization. Xemnas grants her her own Lesser Nobodies and Marluxia begins to make his intentions more clear to her.

~~~

“So, has she warmed up to you yet?”

Through the throngs of people wandering the marketplace, it was difficult for Marluxia to fully hear what Larxene was saying to him. Yet at the mention of Alixka, all the noise somehow seemed to melt away and his attention was piqued. They were in Agrabah, doing recon and as always, thinking about The Maiden of Tempests. He motioned for his friend to follow him around a corner down a quiet alley where they could converse better. 

“Alixka is still being coy.” he said once he was sure they were more or less alone. “I see her sometimes in the greenhouse. Most of the time she leaves before I can approach her but when we do speak, she becomes so quickly flustered that it’s quite amusing that she still pretends not to have an interest in me.” 

“Ohhhhhh, oooooohhhh!” Larxene giggled mischievously. “Playing hard-to-get, huh? That just makes the chase all the more fun. And all the more satisfying when she finally gives in!” This made him laugh with her, a very amusing thought indeed. 

“And what about you, Larxene? When will you make your move?”

“Ugh!” she scoffed and turned her back to him. “I told you already, I don’t like Alixka like that!” 

Marluxia laughed again, pretending not to notice the red tint coloring her cheeks. Over the last two months, he had observed how The Savage Nymph behaved around Alixka and while she was still harsh, it was a far cry from the outright contempt she showed to the other members. No matter how many times Larxene said so, he refused to believe that she did not also fancy The Maiden of Tempests as he did. 

But for her sake, he still pretended to believe her. He took a look out at the streets and saw that the crowd was thinning out and they made their way back through the marketplace. 

“By the way, when we were on our mission the other day, she summoned a Dragoon to assist in finding our target.” Larxene glanced at him, shrugging in a way that said that she did not get the significance of what he was saying. “Apparently Xemnas hasn’t given her Lesser Nobodies of her own, but Dragoons? They belong to Xaldin.”

“So?”

“Just something I found interesting is all. They share many similarities, I’ve noticed. Xaldin and Alixka. Too many for me not to take notice.”

Larxene shrugged again, she had not really noticed what Marluxia was talking about. But then again, she made it a point of avoiding members she disliked and Xaldin was one of them. 

They continued walking, occasionally taking a glance at the different peddlers and their stalls. Something caught the blonde’s eye and she paused at a vendor that was selling various types of jewelry. Marluxia did not notice this at first and continued walking along until he asked something of his companion and she did not answer. That’s when he turned around and noticed her looking at a charming little open bangle with two roses carved on the ends. 

“I don’t know why.” she began. “But this looks like something Alixka might appreciate.” She quickly dropped several munny orbs in the hands of the vendor and handed the bangle to Marluxia. “How ‘bout you give it to her next time you see her. Might even speed up the wooing process.” 

He took the piece of jewelry from her with a little smirk. For someone who supposedly did not like Alixka, Larxene certainly seemed interested in what would make her warm up to him better. She could see the sly look in her friend’s face and quickly changed tone.

“Don’t get the wrong idea! I just think…”

“Perhaps then, maybe you should give it to her, Larxene.” He tried to hand the bangle back to her but she pushed it back into his hands with a little force. 

“Shut up! I want YOU to give it to her! It would mean more from you!”

“Oh? Are you implying that you would give it to her if…”

“FUCK OFF!” She walked quickly past him, silently giving thanks that the crowds had begun to pick up again as the ensuing noise drowned out his devilish laughter. 

What it did not drown out however, was the sharp burning sensation in her chest at the thought of Marluxia giving the bangle to Alixka. Even if it was her idea. 

~~~

_A few weeks earlier..._

Alixka stepped out of the Dark Corridor and stared out at the sun setting over the watery horizon. The ocean always seemed to take on a whole new beauty at sunset. It was one of the things she loved about coming to Neverland. 

She was there with Xaldin on a last minute mission when a large Heartless had been spotted in the world. Between the two of them it would be quick work before they could finally RTC for the day. But as they walked along, Alixka saw no sign of their target or any indication that it was even around. 

“Do we have any idea where this target is?” She asked Xaldin. 

“Haven’t a clue. This was last minute after all.” He stopped for a moment and looked around him before extending his hand. “But let us hasten the process.”

It was not understood what he meant at first but in the next moment a strange creature appeared before him. A winged creature that somewhat resembles a dragon and armed with a single lance similar to Xaldin’s. Alixka jumped, she had never seen anything like it before.

“What is this? Another type of Dusk?” 

“Not exactly.” Replied The Whirlwind Lancer. “It’s called a Dragoon. They’re a sort of Lesser Nobody like the Dusks but they are far stronger. And they are under my control.” He gave the creature a particular look and it flew off into the distance. “It will search for the Heartless and find its location.”

After a few moments the Dragoon reappeared. It swayed around its master in a way he seemed to understand before vanishing. The Heartless was over by Rainbow Falls. When they arrived there they saw that the creature was already surrounded by several Dragoons and they had already begun making work of the monster. Xaldin and Alixka summoned their weapons.

“Incredible!” She said. “It was right on the nose with the location.”

“Of course it was!” He laughed. “They always are.”

The monster stood no chance against The Whirlwind Lancer or Maiden of Tempests. Once taken care of, Xaldin called back his Nobodies to him for Alixka to have a better look.

“You have not been here very long. So I suspect you haven’t had the opportunity to become accustomed to them.” He motioned for one of the Dragoons to stand before her when she reached out to it. “In addition to the Dusks, each member has a class of Lesser Nobody similar to them in style and ability. In time, you will be granted Lesser Nobodies of your own.”

As Alixka listened to him, she found herself fascinated by the silver and maroon creature standing next to her. It wasn’t as startling upon second look and it’s intelligence despite not having a human form like her was quite something. 

“In the meantime, I grant you permission to call upon my Dragoons to aid you until you Lord Xemnas grants you your own.” At this he gave her one of his rare, kind smiles. “Use them well, child.”

~~~

 Later that evening, Alixka found herself walking around the greenhouse alone. She had been in the Organization now for two months and slowly, she was beginning to get the hang of her new life and even develop a day to day routine. Standing among the flowers and gazing up at the heart shaped moon, this was one of the things she enjoyed most about her days when work was complete. It was particularly enjoyable now because as far as she knew, Marluxia was nowhere to be seen. 

There were three new plants that she had never seen before. Large plants that did not appear to be in bloom. She was taken by their pearly white exterior. 

“Well aren’t you an interesting plant.” She said to herself as she reached out to touch one. “I wonder what you look like when...huh...what? What the?!”

She had wondered what they looked like and was given just that when the three plants bloomed and revealed their true form. They were strangely pretty, tinted in a pearly pink in addition to white. Their flower-like appearance told her that they belonged to Marluxia. These were his Lesser Nobodies. 

And just as Alixka realized what that meant, one of the creatures swirled around her, turning inside out and releasing several glowing pink petals that emitted a strong floral scent that she found peculiarly pleasant. Her mind was momentarily clouded while a second one shot four vines towards her ankles and wrists that she was too preoccupied to counter.  

In the next moment she found herself bound and elevated off the floor, staring down at the sinister master of these strange creatures. Alixka tried to bite back her embarrassment as Marluxia approached her. Something in the heady floral aroma was breaking down her usually iron clad defences where he was concerned. 

 _Damnit!_ _And I was doing so well not falling into his traps!_  

“I take it you’ve met my Reapers.” He said with that teasing little smirk that always embarrassed her. “Aren’t they lovely? Though not as lovely as yourself of course.”

Alixka glared at him but then smiled in spite of herself. 

“They are very pretty.” She admitted. “And very much like their master.”

“Oh?” He quirked his eyebrow at her before smirking again, taking advantage of her bound state to softly touch her face. The way her eyes locked with his amused him greatly. “Does that mean you find me ‘very pretty’ as well?”

“What?! No! No I mean...yes...I...sorry…I mean...Ugh!” 

Embarrassment shot back into her face and she could not hide it. She tried to shake her body free but to no avail, causing him to chuckle devilishly before motioning for the Reaper to lower and release her. Marluxia leaned into her face and chuckled again at her scarlet expression.

“No need to apologize, Rosebud. I know exactly what you meant.”

“I...told you, I don’t like when you call me that!”

“And why not?” He took her chin into his hand and ran a teasing thumb across the edge of her lower lip. “What would you like me to call you instead?”

“Alixka would suffice, thank you!” 

Alixka forced herself to move away and vanished in a cloud of black and purple. Even as she felt herself strangely enjoying his touch and, even stranger, wanting more. She placed her hands on her cheeks, feeling the confusing heat in them. 

_Why does this always happen? What is wrong with me?_

~~~

Saix really had a sick sense of humor for one who supposedly had no heart. That was what went through Alixka’s mind two days later when he informed her that her mission for that day would be in Land of the Dragons and with Marluxia. Thankfully it was to take down Heartless so it would not take too long. 

“Let’s make this quick!” She said. “I promised Zexion we’d play chess today.” 

“Really now?” He folded his arms and gazed at her in a way half teasing half curious. “Do you not like spending time with me?”

“Huh? No! That’s not what I meant!” 

“Sure sounded like it. Pity because I do love our time together, even if it is far and few.”

For some reason Alixka allowed herself to smile at him forgivingly but regretted it the moment the teasing smirk returned to his face. Cheeks burning, she turned from him and extended her hand in the way that Xaldin had showed her to summon a Dragoon. At once it appeared before her.

“Go find our target.” She said. 

After the creature had flown off, Marluxia approached her with another curious look. 

“That was a Dragoon. They belong to Xaldin, do they not?” 

“They do, but...Xaldin said I may use them until I get my own.”

“How interesting.” He folded his arms together and allowed his eyes to close while he thought about it more. “I sure wish someone had lent me their Nobodies in my first weeks here. Now that I think about it, their weapons are very similar to you own.” 

This was not a new thought for The Graceful Assassin, but one he had for a while now and was hoping that maybe Alixka would give him more insight. But she did not seem to understand him.

“They are more similar to Xaldin, I think.”

“Yes, but a lance and spear are not too different from each other if you really think about it. And your power over wind, also very much like…”

Thankfully Alixka did not have to respond further because at that moment the Dragoon reappeared. It floated around her for a moment before touching her hand briefly. Something shocking pulsed through her that she did not understand but somehow it enabled her to understand the creature. 

“Our target is making its way toward the village in the mountain past.” She said to Marluxia before summoning her weapon. “Let’s go, before it causes any havoc.”

~~~

The weeks passed and soon enough, Alixka found herself becoming acquainted with most of the other Lesser Nobody types that were not Dusks. During their chess match later that day, Zexion summoned one of his own to fetch a book for him. It was called a Mystic and in many ways was also just like it’s master, coated in a slate grey with tints of cobalt. A few days later she encountered one of Vexen’s in his lab, a silvery blue creature that was called an Alchemist. 

On a mission with Demyx, she came in contact with his Dancer Nobodies. In her mind, Dancers were probably the most attractive next to Marluxia’s and, from what she saw, far more diligent in their tasks than their master. The only ones she had not yet seen were those belonging to The Superior of The In Between. But she figured that they may well be as enigmatic as their master and it was better that she had not seen them yet. 

 After her last encounter with Marluxia in the greenhouse, she added yet another condition to weather or not she would go there. In addition to making sure Marluxia wasn’t there when she visited, she had also decided she wouldn’t if Reapers were present. So after returning from a mission with Lexaeus one day and seeing that they were floating among the flowers, she decided it would be best if she just returned to her room. 

When she got there, she rested on her bed for a long time before deciding to change coats, having torn the one she was wearing while out that day.  As she pulled the zipper down and let the fabric pool around her feet, she heard a soft sound that sounded like the forming of a Dark Corridor. Her body jerked around quickly and she saw in the corner a single Reaper floating. She gasped.

“What the hell!?! Are you spying on me?!” She received her answer when there was a soft knock on the door. “Yes?! What is it?!”

“Just me, Alixka.” Marluxia called out. “May I come in?”

“No!” She snapped, before deciding better against it. “I mean...not yet! I’m changing! You can come in when I’m done! Wait a moment and please do something about your Nobody!”

The sound of his laughter could be heard from her door as the Reaper disappeared. Quickly, she threw on a fresh coat and opened the door to see the Nobody floating beside its master. She made a face at both of them. 

“Were you using that creature to spy on me?!” She asked. 

“Now why would you think that?” He replied teasingly. “I only wanted to see if you were in your room. How was I to know...”

“You could have just knocked!” 

She was right on that one and he did not respond. Only smiling as he held out a small box to her. Alixka took it from him and stared at it curiously, and then back at him. 

“Open it.”

She did so and was pleasantly surprised by its contents. Couched in maroon velvet sat the charming little gold bangle. A smile came to her face and her cheeks became strangely warm. 

“While I was in Agrabah, I...saw this and thought of you at once.” He explained. “And that you might like it.”

“You...you were right in thinking that. Thank you, Marluxia.”

She was blushing a little and forgot her previous irritation. Truthfully, Alixka was still trying to sort out just what her thoughts were about The Graceful Assassin and this sweet little gesture worked well in his favor. He smiled back at her as well. 

“That’s all I wanted. I’m sure you’re tired from today.” Marluxia placed a hand on her shoulder. “Sleep well, Alixka.”

Such an odd encounter. And so different from their usual ones. That was what Alixka thought as she sat on her bed and admired her little gift. 

“Well, did she like it?”

Nearly the moment Marluxia returned to his room, Larxene barged in, eager to know what Alixka thought of the little gift. He smiled, completely unbothered by the sudden intrusion. 

“You were right.” he replied. “Alixka was very pleased with her gift. I think, that was the first time I’ve ever seen her smile at me. Actually smile. It shouldn’t be much longer now.”

The strange burning returned to Larxene but she laughed. “Ha! Told you!” 

“And that’s not all.” With this, Marluxia waved his hand and summoned back the Reaper that had slipped into Alixka’s room. “Well, what did you see?”

The creature floated around its master and his companion as it informed them of its true purpose. 

“Nice, yes. Very nice.” The pink haired man grinned mischievously to himself. “Strong legs as well? How I would love to have those legs wrapped around my face....well soon enough.” 

“Whaaaaa?” Larxene’s eyes widened before melting back into playful indignance. “You didn’t! You’re having your Nobodies spy on her too?!”

“She asked the very same thing, now why would you two think such a thing of me?” 

“Cut the crap, Marluxia! As if I don’t know you better than anyone else here!” 

The burning sensation had disappeared and she chuckled with him. Of course she was correct, but she couldn’t help but blush a little. 

“So...how does she look behind all the black?”

 ~~~

Three months had now passed since Alixka had joined the Organization. On the day which marked the anniversary, she was summoned to The Altar of Naught. She had never been there before but followed Xaldin’s instructions on how to find it. She was almost there when she came upon another new area she had never before seen that was like a vast opening that separated one side of the castle from another. There were several platforms floating in the air but no visible way to get to them.

Alixka thought about teleporting when she noticed a single Dusk slinking around her, it walked over to the edge and she wondered if it would fall but instead a glassy bridge materialized that connected from the edge to a platform. The creature then turned to her, as if expecting her to follow it and she did so, watching with amazement as the invisible bridges continued to appear and take her to the other side of the opening, and to The Altar of Naught. 

Walking up the stairway, she was at once taken by the stunning view of Kingdom Hearts from above. More incredible than that of the greenhouse or even the Addled Impasse. But when she saw Xemnas was standing beside Saix and Xaldin, she became slightly concerned. Had she done something wrong? She could count on less than one hand all the times she had ever seen The Superior and it could never be determined what he was thinking as he very rarely changed tone or even his expression. 

Xaldin gave her a brief look as though she should kneel, which she did. 

“Alixka.” Xemnas began. “You have been a part of this Organization for three months now. Though short, in that time you have developed into a valuable member.”

“Thank you, Superior.” 

“Your place among our ranks is now secure. It is time that it be formalized.”

Formalized? What could that mean? Wasn’t she already a member? Alixka allowed her eyes to briefly glance up at the Superior as he waved his hand and made three Dusks appear. In the next moment he waved them again and they changed appearance. A class of Lesser Nobodies that she had never before seen now floated before her. 

“Every member of this Organization has its own class of Nobodies, as you are aware.” He went on. “In light of your excellent work and loyalty, I now bestow these creatures to you. They will assist you in your tasks and do your bidding as you see fit. Use them well, Alixka.”

Her head rose more to have a better look at her new creatures. Oddly beautiful they were. In an alien sort of way. Their hands were sharpened in a similar design of her weapon and had four silvery tails that shimmered like sunlit waves on the sea. A small smile escaped her. 

“Thank you, Lord Xemnas. This generous bestowment will not go to waste.”

~~~

Vixens. That was what they were called. Sitting in her room later that day, Alixka had the chance to become better acquainted with her Nobodies. Sometimes when they floated around her, their tails bloomed outward and split into five more, making nine in all. If she touched one, she swore she could hear them speak to her. And she spoke back. 

_We are at your call, Maiden of Tempests. We will serve you always with unwavering loyalty._

_I have a mission tomorrow, will you accompany me?_

_Naturally, and whenever and wherever else you require our service._

Alixka smiled at the creature. It was almost like having a pet. She often found herself alone. If she weren’t on a mission or playing chess with Zexion. Otherwise most of her time was spent by herself with only her own thoughts for company. Their existence may have been inferior to her own but she wanted to consider the Vixens to be her friends as well as her servants. 

That night as she slept, something went on in her room that she was unaware of until the next morning. She was preparing to start her day when a single Vixen appeared before her, floating around her quickly and placing a tail on her shoulder.

_Forgive us, Maiden of Tempests._

_What for?_

_There was an intrusion in your room last night that we were unable to stop._

_Intrusion? What sort of intrusion?_

_A Reaper. Those under the command of The Graceful Assassin._

_WHAT?!_

_Please forgive us!_

_Why was it in my room?!_

_We...cannot be sure...but our kind are not strong enough to counter them. We can counter Dusks, Creepers, Gamblers, Dancers, Ninjas, Mystics, Assassins, Snipers and Alchemists. But not Sorcerers, Berserkers, Gladiators, Dragoons and, unfortunately, not Reapers._

_Then don’t apologize. If there was nothing you could do. I just...want to know what it was doing here._

_Your guess is as good as ours, Maiden of Tempests._

The creature vanished, leaving Alixka very perplexed indeed. Her attention was drawn to the bangle circling her wrist. Perhaps Marluxia was looking for her? But at such a late hour? Nothing that couldn’t keep until the next day. Unless…

She didn’t want to think about it but her original suspicion would not leave her mind. Heat shot up into her face but not for the reason she thought it should be. Again she glanced at the gold bangle and felt that strange fluttering in her chest. She called back the Vixen. 

“Go see...what No. XI is doing.” She said. “Go to his room.”

It vanished and Alixka went back to her bed to await it’s return, which was a few minutes later. 

“Well?”

Her Lesser Nobody floated around her, telling her something that made her jump.

_But...did he notice your presence?_

_He did, but he did not seem bothered. Only asking my purpose for being there, that is when I returned back here._

Blush came to her cheeks. The Vixen had informed her that Marluxia had just emerged from the shower and was clothed in only a white towel. At once a wave of thoughts came to her, many of which surprised her in how _lewd_ they were. The Vixen swayed a little, as if waiting for more orders. She placed her hand on its tail. 

_And...his physique?_

_Physique?_

_How does he...look?_

_Reasonably healthy, and…_

_No! No! That’s not what I mean. His...body...is he slim? Is he muscular?_

_No. XI is...slim but well-toned, slightly muscular. Skin slightly tanned, as you are aware._

Alixka thought about this, blushing the more she thought of it. 

_I see...and...does he have a…_

_A what?_

_You...you know...a…_

_I don’t seem to understand, Maiden of Tempests._

So deep was she in her inappropriate thoughts that she almost did not hear the knock at her door. She knew who it probably was and immediately vanished in a cloud of black and purple, arriving in The Grey Area in the next moment. It was time to actually start her day. 

A few moments later, Marluxia entered her room to find it empty save for the single Vixen floating near where she had just been. A smirk came to his face as he approached the creature.

“So I was correct after all.” He said. “You belong to Alixka. Somehow your appearance perfectly suit your Mistress.”

The creature gave no response, but made no sign of aggression.

“What were you doing in my room?”

Again no response. But it did not matter, Marluxia already knew the answer. 

“Clearly I am not the only one who uses their Lesser Nobodies in such a way.”

At this the Vixen disappeared in a swirl of silver. He smirked again, there was no point in confronting Alixka about it just yet. She was probably already out on her mission anyway. Instead he called forth one of his Reapers.

“When Alixka returns, let me know at once.” 

~~~

Meanwhile in the forests of Twilight Town, Alixka walked along, trying her best not to think about Marluxia or the Reaper that had come into her room while she slept. She had left the castle so quickly that she had forgotten that Demyx was supposed to be accompanying her on this outing. But he had not shown up so she had time to give more time to her thoughts. Even if she was supposed to be searching for Heartless. 

It seemed that no matter how she tried, the image of The Graceful Assassin's enticing eyes and wicked smile refused to leave her, and thanks to her Vixen, she now had thoughts in her head of how he looked half naked! 

In a fit of frustration, Alixka pressed her back against the trunk of a large tree and sank to her knees, deciding to take a few moments to sit and sort out her thoughts. Closing her eyes, she recalled every moment she had spent with the pink haired Nobody in the last three months. Their first meeting in the training room; their encounters in the greenhouse, her first mission that awakened her powers, and of course, that evening a few days ago when he gave her the bangle that now circled her wrist. 

Every meeting had been amusing at best, if not somewhat embarrassing. But was there really any reason for what was currently going through her mind? 

_WHACK!_

She had no further time to think because in the next moment she was shaken from her thoughts by something hard striking her head from above. She glanced up to the sight of several Powerwild Heartless dancing about on the branches of the tree. Her face twisted in disgust but they were her target after all. 

“You know, it’s rude to throw things as a way of getting attention!” she said as she summoned her weapon. “Maybe I should show you monkeys some manners!” 

But Powerwilds were tricky creatures to catch. They were quick and agile with the ability to get up high into the trees to elude their pursuers. Alixka gave chase to them, casting swift gales that shook through the trees and knocked some of the Heartless down that she made quick work of before going after the rest. 

“Stop running, you bastards!”

After several minutes of chasing the group of Powerwilds through the forest, she had only managed to kill three and was beginning to get frustrated. That’s when several swirls of silver snaked around her and her Vixen Nobodies appeared. Alixka didn’t even have to ask anything of them because as quickly as they appeared, they were off into the trees. 

They were much faster and far more agile that the Heartless did not stand a chance against them as they were knocked out of the high branches for The Maiden of Tempests to destroy, even destroying a few themselves. Soon enough, the Powerwilds were taken care of and her work for the day complete. Her Vixens appeared before her and she smiled, placing her hand on one of their tails. 

_Well done, it would have taken me forever to take them out on my own._

_No thanks is needed, Maiden of Tempests. It is our duty to come to your aid whenever it is needed._

_By the way, No. IX was supposed to accompany me today. Have you seen him?_

_We have not, Maiden of Tempests._

Just as this was communicated to her, a rustle of twigs and leaves announced Demyx’s very delayed arrival. He appeared surprised to see Alixka, but cheerful all the same. She made a face, why had Saix decided that he join her again?

“Heyyyyyy, sorry I’m late. Saix told me you had already left. I didn’t know if you had the situation under control or not.”

“How nice of you to finally show up!” Alixka replied, hardly bothering to conceal her sarcasm. “But you’re right, I do have it under control. _Had_ it under control!”

Demyx looked slightly awkward, well aware of having weaseled his way out of any real work once again. That’s when he caught sight of the attractive new Lesser Nobodies floating beside her.

“Ohhh, are these Nobodies your’s?” He smiled as he reached out for one. “I’ve never seen them before, they’re kinda cute, like...ahhhh!”

As he reached out to touch the Vixen, one of it’s tails slapped his hand away, causing a sharp twinge of pain to shoot up his hand. Not getting the memo, Demyx tried touching it again and once again was stung. When he took a look at his hand, he saw that the leather material of his glove was withering away to reveal a poisoned scar carved in his flesh. Alixka couldn’t help but smirk and despite his pain, Demyx smiled too.

“Guess I deserved that.” he said, trying to laugh.

“You certainly did.” she replied, stroking her Nobody affectionately as a means of proving her point. Apparently if anyone touched them besides The Maiden of Tempests, they would be stung, this is what it told her. “Well the Heartless were taken care of, and don’t worry, I’ll tell Saix that you did actually help me today!”

Demix smiled again, thanking her as she opened a Dark Corridor and they made their way back to the castle. 

~~~

They reported their success but it was honestly still early in the day. Without any other work to do, Alixka found herself in the rare situation of being completely free. On instinct she went into the library, hoping to find Zexion for an impromptu game of chess. He wasn’t there which meant he was likely in the lab with Vexen and she wasn’t allowed down there unless she actually needed something. 

As she contemplated what to do next, the cold metal of her bangle brushed against her skin, prompting her to take another look at it. It was honestly like playing with fire, especially after what happened that morning, but it was still early after all. It was very likely that Marluxia was out on his own daily mission. Maybe she could now visit the greenhouse without having to worry about his presence. 

It certainly did seem that way when Alixka pushed one of the large glass doors open and saw that neither Marluxia nor any Reapers were present. But as a precaution, she summoned a Vixen, instructing it to let her know if he was making his way there. Once it was gone, she made her way through the many plants and flowers, taking in their lovely scents and pretty colors. She noticed a few new bushes where pink and purple roses were intertwined and she remembered the two roses left for her on one of her first mornings in the Organization. It had strangely annoyed her at the time, now the recollection brought a pleasant fluttering to her chest that was just as strange to her mind but for a different reason entirely. 

As she reached out for one, her thoughts returned once again to The Graceful Assassin. With her fingers on the soft pink petals, she couldn't help but think of the lovely pink hue of his hair, so similar to the flower she now held in her hand. They also reminded her of his lips, also a lovely shade of pink, and they always seemed loveliest when he was smiling.

_I wonder, would it be like to touch those lips? And to touch his hair._

Without realizing it, Alixka was now smiling. Smiling at the thoughts going through her mind that were rather sweet compared to her thoughts from earlier. Her eyes darted to the bangle again, and then to the rose.

_Perhaps...Marluxia isn’t so bad after all._

Just as this thought passed her mind, Alixka thought she heard a soft clang that meant the glass door was opening. She jumped and turned around, but saw no one there. A few steps forward and still Alixka sensed that she was still alone. Perhaps she had imagined it, those were her thoughts as she turned back around and…

“Hello there, Alixka.”

If Alixka still had a heart, she was certain it would have stopped completely at the sight of Marluxia now standing there, right where she had just previously been. How had he managed to come in without her noticing?! Immediately a Vixen appeared before her.

_Forgive us, Maiden of Tempests! Forgive us! I know you told us to…_

_It’s fine! Just...how…?_

_We don’t know, perhaps one of his Nobodies informed him of your presence._

She communicated with her Lesser Nobody, all the while keeping her eyes upon the beautiful, taunting face now smirking at her. She tried to say something to him, but found herself at a loss for words. 

“Ah, so you’ve noticed the new roses I’ve planted.” he said, taking a purple blossom from the bush and holding it out next to the pink one in her hand. “Pink and purple, they make such a beautiful combination. Wouldn’t you say?” 

Her eyes lowered and remained on the two flowers, warmth was returning to her cheeks as she nodded. 

“So, how was your day?”

“F...fine. It was fine. My mission was pretty easy today, which is...why I’m here. I hope you don’t mind.”

“You know I don’t, Alixka.” Marluxia gently tipped her chin up to meet her gaze. “Not at all.”

Alixka had been smiling but now she bit her lip as her eyes ran up and down his face. Those same soft pink lips were now not too far from her face. She forced her mind back to reality and shook his hand away. 

“I should get going.” she said, taking a few steps back. “I was going to see if Saix had anymore work for me today. So I’ll see you la…”

“Not so fast.” he chuckled, his eyes now upon the Vixen floating behind her. “What an attractive Nobody you have. Very attractive indeed.”

“Yeah well...just don’t touch it! Demyx learned that the hard way!”

Marluxia chuckled again, this time moving closer to Alixka and leaning into her face to study her expression. 

“Actually, I recall coming across one such creature earlier this morning.” Alixka’s face immediately burned at the recollection of what she had ordered her Vixen to do. She tried to turn her face away but Marluxia could already see how red she was becoming. 

“It was watching me as I was coming out of the shower.” He leaned further into her, close enough for a few strands of his hair to gently brush her cheek. “The Lesser Nobodies generally stay close to their Masters less they’re doing their bidding. I wonder…” 

Such was the embarrassed heat flaring inside of her that Alixka couldn’t stand to stay a moment longer. She pretended to not understand what he was talking about as best she could, handed the pink rose back to him and quickly left. The moment she was back in the hallway, she felt a strange giddiness in her chest and in the next moment she found herself giggling. She didn’t understand it and she quickly pinched herself, hoping that Marluxia could not hear her. 

No such luck. Marluxia could hear her and it took everything in him not to follow her into the hallway. Instead he returned to tending to his roses. 

Yes, pink and purple did make a lovely combination. Now he only had to wait just a little longer and he was certain that Alixka would soon be his. 

 ~~~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even if Vexen wasn't actually part of the Thirteen Seekers of Darkness, Nomura really missed out on an opportunity to give him Lesser Nobodies of his own! Actually scratch that, we missed out on the Lesser Nobodies of each of the Basement Trio. Seriously!


	7. Lazy Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alixka finds herself with a rare day off, free of any missions.

~~~

_ “If your enemy is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him. If your opponent is temperamental, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them. If sovereign and subject are in accord, put division between them. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected .” _

Alixka flipped through the pages, studying them intently in case her mentor was to test her knowledge of the text anytime soon, which he was often wont to do. The book was  _ The Art of War _ by Sun Tzu, Xaldin had given it to her as a means of helping her become stronger. She didn’t understand why at first, as she considered herself already pretty strong. But according to Xaldin, there was always room for improvement in regards to combat skills. 

“There is far more to being a competent fighter than holding your own in battle.” he had told her the day he had given her the book. “That is only half of it, the other half is having an understanding your adversary. Understanding their strengths as well as their weaknesses. Knowing these things will make you all the more stronger. Even the Heartless, as base as they are, have very defined psychology that, once you read this, you will know how to best exploit when fighting.” 

After a week of reading though, Alixka was beginning to understand what Xaldin had meant about how reading this book would help her become a stronger fighter. And she could see why he had recommended the book to her, being a true warrior at heart himself. That is, if he actually had a heart. 

It was now nearly five in the afternoon and as of yet, no one had called for her to come to The Grey Area. Normally she would have been sent out on her daily mission by now, Xemnas had summoned all the members to The Round Room for an early morning meeting but afterward, she had been left alone to her own devices. Alixka could only surmise that there was no work for her that day, not that she was complaining. It was rare to have such ample time to herself and she wasn’t going to mess that up. So she had spent the rest of the day reading until she thought she heard someone pushing the door to the library open. She didn’t think much of this at first until she thought she heard the familiar sound of shrill giggling. 

_ Ugh! Larxene! _

It  _ was _ Larxene, and Alixka decided it was probably time to finish reading and leave the library before The Savage Nymph saw her. She pushed herself away from the table she was sitting at and made her way back to the shelves to put the book away. As she found an empty shot to put it in, her eyes scanned the other books beside it. One of these was a copy of _ The Prince _ by Niccolo Machiavelli, another book that Xaldin had recommended to her, apparently it was also a favorite of Lord Xemnas. She pulled it from the shelf and began to quietly flip through it.

_ “it is much safer to be feared than loved because...love is preserved by the link of obligation which, owing to the baseness of men, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage; but fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which never fails.” _

_ Hmm, interesting. I can see why the Superior might read this just from this passage alone. Most everyone  here certainly seems to fear him, especially Vexen. As for love, well, I don’t think Nobodies can really love anyway.  _

“Hey, Princess! Wasting your day off with homework?” 

Alixka’s face twisted as she quickly recalled that Larxene had been nearby, so immersed she had been in her reading that she had nearly forgotten. She pressed the book back into its slot and turned to the blonde with a look of irritation. 

“I don’t like it when Xigbar calls me that, I like it no better when you do!” she said. 

“Ohhhh don’t be like that, Princess!” replied the blonde, apparently not getting the memo about the nickname. “What ‘cha reading?”

“Why do you care?”

“I don’t! I just wanna see!”

“Then why did you ask?”

“Lemme see!”

Without waiting for another objection from the brunette, Larxene swiped the book out of her hand so she could have a look. Alixka glared as the blonde flipped through The Prince rather casually before putting it back in it’s slot. 

“Hmmm, for some reason you never struck me as one to appreciate Machiavelli.” she said. 

“Oh?” Alixka turned to Larxene with new interest that (for once) wasn’t tainted with irritation. “I can’t say I really appreciate him exactly. But I do respect some of the things he has to say.”

“So do I.” replied the blonde. “Wow, never did I think we’d actually have something in common, Princess! It’s a good read if you’re trying to understand the ins and outs of leadership.”

“Sounds like something more suited to our Superior.” Alixka said wryly. 

“True, but you don’t have to be a leader to get anything out of it. I know Marluxia has been reading it a lot lately.”

“Marluxia? Really?” Now Larxene fully had her interest. “What...other kinds of books does he read?”

Larxene glanced at her for a few moments, before her lips curled into a devious little smirk as she reached out for the shelf opposite them and pulled out a book to show her. 

“Wanna know what kind of books Marluxia likes?” she asked slyly. “You could start with this right here!” 

She handed Alixka the book, titled  _ La Philosophie dans le Boudoir, Philosophy in the Bedroom,  _ by the Marquis de Sade. The brunette opened it with a strange sense of curiosity, and then balked when she apparently read something that she was not expecting. The blonde giggled at her revulsion. 

“What the hell is this about?!”

“Oh, it’s about, how can I word it, weeeellll…”

“Well what?!”

“Erotic sadism.”

“HUH?!” the second Alixka registered what Larxene had said, she thrust the book back at her. Embarrassment scorching her cheeks “Why the fuck would you give me a book about THAT?!”

“You wanted to know what Marluxia likes to read. Sooooo…”

“This sounds more like some shit YOU would read, Larxene!” at this, the blonde let up her hands and laughed mischievously.

“Alright alright, you caught me.” she admitted. “It’s actually one of my favorites. But Marluxia has read it, and I’d be lying if I said he didn’t find it interesting.”

“Ugh! Forget it! I should have known not to ask you!” 

“Stop being a prig! It doesn't suit you! Aren’t you curious about what he likes about it?”Hot blush shot back up Alixka’s face and she turned away from the blonde. Apparently she took this as a yes. “Aren't you interested in knowing what kind of sadistic things he like to…”

“NO! No I DON’T!”

Though truthfully, Alixka was  _ extremely _ interested. She knew The Graceful Assassin had a streak of sadism in him, judging just by how much he loved to tease her or play tricks on her using vines. And despite always feeling embarrassed, something in her also secretly enjoyed his flirtations. Even if they confused her imesseley. 

But she knew better than to let Larxene know this, considering her closeness to him it would not surprise her if she ended up telling Marluxia about what they talked about. She made a face at the blonde and walked off, doing her best to ignore the sly giggling that followed her out of the library and into the hallway. 

~~~

“Oh good, Alixka, I was meaning to seek you out.” 

Alixka bit back a groan as she turned at the sound of The Luna Diviner’s voice. She had been so close to her room, just to be stopped in the hallway by him. But then again, perhaps she should have known that she could not get off the entire day without being given any work. 

“Yes, Saix? Let me guess? You have a mission for me now?” 

“I do.” he replied. “But not until tomorrow morning. Recon in a new world. So you may continue slacking off today if that is your inclination.”

As if it were her fault if he had neglected to find any work for her that day! She turned her back to him to roll her eyes, but she ignored his snideness when she spoke again. 

“Very well, I’ll be up early. Now if you excuse me…”

“One last thing. You will be going with Marluxia.”

Again, Alixka turned away from him, pretending to seem indifferent as she nodded and continued walking to her room. But the moment she closed the door and went to her bed, she buried her face into her pillow, hoping to cool the heat burning in her face. 

_ Ugh! What’s Saix’s deal pairing me with Marluxia AGAIN?! Yeah this is technically only our fourth mission together but still! If only Zexion went out more! Ohhh, Kindgom Hearts help me! Tomorrow is going to be awkward! _

That is what she told herself but what she truly thought, she could not tell herself, or anyone else for that matter. 

~~~

_ What the hell am I doing?!  _

It was the next day, and still early. Alixka wasn’t expected in The Grey Area for another hour. So she decided to do something different with her hair. But as she brushed through her silky dark locks, she began to realize that it really didn’t matter what she did to it. The only reason she had even thought about it was because she wanted to see if he would notice. 

_ Ugh! What is wrong with me?! Why can’t I get a grip?! _

As she slammed the brush back on the nightstand, black hairpins dancing and scattering about at the impact, Alixka found her mind wandering. She was thinking about him again. More specifically she was thinking about his hair. It was very beautiful, the color of a pretty pink rose. And she was sure it was soft, as soft as rose petals. 

Alixka hit herself with the bristles of her brush in order to snap out of her daydreams. Seriously. What was her problem? Why did the thought of a mission today with The Graceful Assassin cause her to become so giddy? That’s when soft knock at the door fully brought her to attention. 

“Who is it?”

“It’s me.” 

_ Marluxia! _ She jumped from her chair and zipped up her coat. 

“What do you want? We don’t have to leave for another hour!”

“Are you implying you don’t want my company?”

“Ugh!!”

She bit down on her lip hard as she opened the door, eyes lowered and praying to the light of Kingdom Hearts that her face did not give away what she was currently thinking. Without another word Marluxia waltzed right past her, taking a seat on her bed. 

“I know we don’t have to leave for another hour.” He said. “Still, I thought I’d come see how your doing. It’s been a while and we rarely are assigned to missions after all.”

Alixka raised her eyebrow at him, the bangle she wore on her wrist brushed against her skin. She briefly glanced down at it as she took her seat back at her nightstand. 

“I see your wearing the gift I gave you.” He went on. “I take it you like it?”

“I...do.” she replied. “It’s...very pretty.” 

He grinned a little. “I think you are prettier, Alixka.” 

At this, her eyes quickly shifted to the pink haired man, his enticing expression made her bite down on her lip a little harder. She could feel the heat beginning to form in her chest and she turned away just as quickly. At least he did not call her Rosebud. 

“You know, I haven’t seen you much in the greenhouse. I figured…”

“I’ve been busy.” She interrupted him. 

In truth, she had been there many times, but only when she was certain that Marluxia wasn’t around. The few times Alixka had encountered him there, it always ended in the same way. With him teasing or playing a trick on her and her leaving with confusing sensations burning in her chest that she both hated and enjoyed at the same time. 

“I understand.” He smiled. “Even so, don’t become a stranger. I do enjoy when you’re there, Rosebud.”

“Ugh!”

Alixka turned from him again, it was probably asking too much for him NOT to call her that! But for some reason, something in his voice made the flame of irritation burn less than usual. She tried to return her focus back to her hair. What was wrong with her?!

There was silence between them for a few moments as she continued to brush her hair. By this time she had completely forgotten what she had originally been planning to do with it and it soon became difficult for her to think of anything besides the knowledge of Marluxia sitting not to far from her, and his intense blue eyes fixed upon her. Without realizing it, the brush slipped from her hands once more. That’s when he rose from his seat and approached her. 

“May I?” He asked, catching the brush and holding it out to her. 

“Huh?” Her eyes began to flutter at the realization that he was now so close. “May you what?”

Marluxia smiled but did not respond with words, instead taking the brush and running it through her long dark locks. Alixka felt her body tense up at the physical contact but strangely found herself not as uncomfortable as she felt she should be. Even when she felt his fingers lace through her hair, it didn’t bother her. Rather she felt a strange sense of relaxation and unknown to her, it was beginning to show on her face. 

“You have such lovely hair, Alixka.”

“I...think your hair is lovelier…”

_ OH!! Oh shit! _ She bit her lip again.  _ No! Please don’t let him have heard that!!! _

But Marluxia did hear her, but decided not to react on it. Not wanting to spoil this rare moment of lowered defenses in The Maiden of Tempests. His eyes scanned the hair accessories scattered on the nightstand, picking up a hair ring and a few pins. 

“What had you planned to do with it today?” 

“I hadn’t really thought about it. But...now that I do...maybe a half crown braid.”

“Oh, well that will be easy enough.”

“Marluxia...are you…”

“Be still, this won’t take long at all.”

Alixka shut her eyes as he continued with her hair. His hands were surprisingly soft and she soon found her irritation melting away completely. This made no sense. 

Nobodies were incapable of emotions, incapable of feelings. So what was this sensation tingling inside of her now? Why did she feel it whenever Marluxia was nearby? And why did she always find herself craving more?

“Yesterday was your first meeting in the Round Room.” He said, changing the subject. “What did you think?”

“It was kinda boring, honestly.” She replied, allowing herself to laugh a little. “But it was nice to have a tall throne to myself without having to gaze up at all of them. Like my first day here.”

“Yes.” He laughed a little with her. “You seemed so bewildered when I first saw you there. But after five months, I think you’ve gotten used to life here. Am I correct in making that assumption?”

“You are.”

“Still, there are still some things that I can’t help but find...interesting…”

“Hmm?” 

When she glanced up at him, she saw that he was no longer looking directly at her. And the normally teasing look in his eyes was replaced with that of seriousness. He continued. 

“Your throne, it’s right beside Xaldin’s and at the exact same level, well maybe slightly lower, but still higher than Xigbar’s.”

“I...never really noticed.” 

“Well if it was your first meeting, I’m guessing you wouldn’t.” He chuckled. “Rank doesn’t necessarily mean anything here, contrary to what Vexen is always saying. But…the way you connect with the senior members, especially Xaldin. It’s interesting.”

“They’ve all been decent enough to me I suppose, especially Xaldin. I don’t know why but I’m grateful nonetheless. 

“The senior members generally hold contempt for me and the others. But not you. Almost as if…”

“What are you getting at, Marluxia?”

“Oh nothing. I...don’t even remember where I was going with this. Forgive me.”

This was a lie. The thoughts had often held interest for The Graceful Assassin. Their Superior had said that she had connections to the founding members, perhaps she knew them all in their past lives. Perhaps she and Xaldin were related, it would explain many things. 

But Marluxia could sense the rising irritation returning to Alixka and decided to drop the subject. For now he would focus on this very rare moment of intimacy between them, even if it was rather tame compared to what he secretly wanted. As he parted her hair to make the braid, the back of her neck was briefly exposed to him and he couldn’t help but stare for a few seconds. 

_ Such beautiful skin. _ He thought.  _ You haven’t the slightest clue how much I am fighting back the urge to kiss you. _

“Marluxia?” 

She could feel his hands stilling against her. He shook himself awake from his thoughts at once. If only he knew how much his thoughts of her were in alignment with her own thoughts of him. Even if she didn’t yet realize it. 

“It’s nothing. I’m...almost done.”

He made quick work of forming the braid against her hair and pinning it in place. A smile came to his face as he brought a mirror to her face so she could admire herself. Her cheeks began to burn but for once not in embarrassment. Marluxia had done a nice job, considering how well kept his own hair was, it probably should not have come as a surprise to her. Alixka allowed herself to smile back at him. 

“Thank you, Marluxia. You...did a good job.”

There was a look shining in her pretty violet eyes that the pink haired man was not used to seeing. And it made him feel rather bold. 

“As I said before, your hair is very lovely. And…” with a teasing smirk. “I’m glad you think mines is lovely as well.”

“HUH?!” Alixka jumped from her seat, quickly turning her back to him in case she was blushing. “So you...DID hear me?!”

His playful laughter burned through her chest and she felt his smirk upon her even with her back turned. In the next moment he was in front of her, taking great amusement in her flustered expression. 

“Of course I did, silly Rosebud. But fear not, your compliment did not offend me.”

“UGH!!!”

As quickly as it came, the pleasant warmth in her chest vanished and was replaced with embarrassment as Alixka remembered why she had made a point of avoiding Marluxia. He continued to laugh as she walked towards the door, following behind her and very much looking forward to the day they would spend together. 

And loath she was to admit it, she was secretly looking forward to it too.

~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of my enduring headcanons for Xaldin/Dilan is that his favorite book is The Art of War. I read it a few semesters ago and I feel like a lot of his personality perfectly suits the text of that book.


	8. Questions and Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After six months of being a member of the Organization, Alixka still has questions about her existence, what they all are striving for, and her reluctant infatuation with No. XI.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has more or less remained the same save for a few changes, more or less a recap of all that has happened in the seven chapters before this one. Timeline wise, it has been about three weeks since the events of chapter seven and now exactly six months since the beginning of chapter one.

~~~

“Alixka, it’s your move.”

Alixka shook herself awake from her thoughts and looked down at the chessboard. She raised her eyebrow as her eyes scanned the pieces, something was not right.

“Zexion, you made two moves in a row!”

The slate haired Nobody smirked and moved back one of his pawns.

“I assure you cheating is not normally my style.” He said. “But you seemed so lost in thought I could not resist and wanted to see if you would even take notice.” Zexion gazed at his opponent with curious interest. “What’s on your mind? You’re not usually so distracted when we play.”

“But Zexion, this is only our third time playing together.”

“Oh! Uh...I mean...I don’t usually see you distracted often.” He cleared his throat. “Um...so, what are you thinking about?”

She made a face at him. “Well now that you mention it, I can’t remember now! The only thing on my mind now is winning this game!”

Zexion glared at her for a moment, then smirked. “Very well then! You will not defeat me!”

The brunette smirked herself as they continued their game. In truth there were many things on her mind at the moment. That day marked six months since she had entered the Organization and she couldn’t help but feel a little bit of amazement at how fast the time had past.

She only knew how much time had passed because she marked the passage of time with a journal that Saix had given to her to chronicle her time in the Organization. Alixka did not have much to write about as most of her days passed by in more or less the same fashion. She would be paired with another member to go out on some mission, either to take down some Heartless or perform reconnaissance in a particular world. 

Sometimes she was sent out alone and during this time she found she was able to fully take in the beauty and uniqueness the world she was sent to. Occasionally she was allotted munny for the purpose of completing certain parts of her missions but more often than not she found herself spending it on things that made her days seem less boring, mostly books she could not find in the castle’s library.

In addition to the Organization and the Dusks, Alixka learned that there were also lesser Nobodies that served the members and did their bidding; there were different classes of lesser Nobodies and each had an attribute similar to the particular member they served. When she had been in the Organization three months, Xemnas presented her with her own that were called Vixens. They were oddly beautiful creatures that fascinated Alixka and followed her everywhere. 

She had also managed to become fully acquainted with all of the members, though some she liked more than others. Larxene was a particular thorn in her side, though in the past few months her sharp tongue had dulled. Alixka could only understand it as maybe a developing and begrudging respect for her. In some ways, Larxene was indeed rather amusing. Still, if Alixka could avoid her, she would.

Another member that managed to get under her skin was Xigbar. He was not as bad tempered as Larxene but he was twice as boorish, he loved to tease her in the most inappropriate ways and his nickname for her, “princess”, annoyed her to no end. Though Alixka had to admit, things certainly were never boring whenever he was around. 

Demyx she liked well enough, though she loathed having to go on missions with him. He was amiable enough, but extremely lazy and it was a wonder to her sometimes how he managed to get into the Organization at all. And Saix was probably the only member Alixka completely disliked due to his cold humorlessness and his occasional snark at her expense. In some ways, she actually liked Larxene better than The Luna Diviner. 

Everyone else she did not mind much at all if she did not outright like them. Xaldin in particular had made a special point of making sure she was performing well and occasionally gave her items and advice that were always helpful to her.

Still, even after six months of living this life, Alixka still had moments of bewilderment. There were two things that Alixka still could not fully understand that intertwined together. The first and most important she could not understand was her heart-less status and how it contributed to her emotions, or better yet, lack of emotions. 

Early on she was made to understand that as a Nobody, she was only a shell of a person and did not truly exist. As such she was incapable of emotions and the same was true for the other members of the Organization.But they all seemed to have very distinct personalities and if they didn’t have any emotions at all, they were certainly very good at pretending they did. 

Zexion had explained to Alixka that everyone’s abilities to pretend so well to have emotions was based on their memories of being Somebodies, they could act like they had emotions because they remembered so strongly what it meant to have them. Could that really be true? If so then even she could have fooled herself with some of the thoughts and feelings she occasionally experienced. Particularly when it came to her developing thoughts surrounding The Graceful Assassin.

After that first mission that revealed her power and weapon to her, Alixka saw Marluxia only a handful of times. Both had their own duties and missions and she could only count on one hand how many times they had been paired together in the last six months. Their interactions had always been cordial. Even if he did often tease her, it never got to Xigbar-levels of out of line. She liked him well enough but there was something very enigmatic about the pink-haired Nobody that she could not help but find intriguing, almost alluring.

Now that she understood the Dark Corridors, Alixka had made something of a game of eluding Marluxia when she went into the greenhouse alone and disappearing to her room the moment she heard him walk in. Sometimes she’d be too slow and flirtatious tricks ensued but most of the time he never caught her. And he never followed her to her room even if something inside of Alixka kind of hoped that he would. 

She did not understand it, what was it that he made her feel? Did he feel it too? She doubted it. Still she could not help but wonder.

“Checkmate.”

Zexion gaped at the chessboard as Alixka folded her arms together in satisfaction.

“What was that, Zexion? What did you say about not defeating me? And unlike you, I didn’t cheat!”

“Yes, good game. Considering how distracted you have been it’s a marvel you were even able to play at all.”

“I can multitask, sometimes.”

“You’re better than Demyx. The moment he gets distracted with anything you might as well not expect anything from him.”

Alixka giggled a little. “I wonder, is there any member of this Organization that you have something nice to say about?”

Zexion raised his eyebrow at her. “Well, all the members are valuable in their own ways, even Demyx has his moments, though rarely. But as far as anything nice to say? Not really. If I’m being completely honest, with the exception of Lexaeus, they are all kind of insufferable.”

She made a face at him. “What? Even me?”

“You’re the only one besides Lexaeus who isn’t insufferable. Unlike the others, besides Vexen, you actually have something resembling intelligence.”

“Gee thanks, Zexion!”

“Don’t be intemperate. It was a compliment!”

She smiled. “I guess for you, that is a compliment. And I thank you.”

Zexion smiled a little too. “Let’s change the subject. It’s been six months since you’ve joined us. How do you like this place so far?”

“Well enough I suppose. There are still some things I don’t understand but I feel like I will in time.”

“What could you possibly still not get after six months?”

“Hmmm.” Alixka hesitated. “I guess I still don’t understand why we can’t feel emotions.”

“Because we don’t have hearts, Alixka. Isn’t that obvious? I thought we went over this before.”

“That’s not what I meant. I mean, like, do we have the ability to feel anything?”

“Nothing that is real.” Zexion replied. “Remembering what is means to feel is not the same as actually feeling.”

“So what I feel are only based on remembering to feel?”

“Correct, and once Kingdom Hearts is completed you will gain a heart and your feelings will actually be real.”

“That’s the other thing.” 

Alixka continued, recalling the second thing about the Organization that she did not understand. Recalling her first meeting in the Round Room a few weeks prior.

“Xigbar once told me that the only thing that can gather hearts for Kingdom Hearts was the Keyblade. None of the members use a Keyblade. How will we be able to complete Kingdom Hearts without one?”

Zexion sighed. “Your guess is as good as mine, Alixka. But do you recall what Lord Xemnas asked of us at our last meeting? About looking out for those who wield Keyblades? I suspect at some point a Keyblade Wielder will join our ranks and then the task of gathering hearts will be far easier. But until that time comes, we all have our own tasks to attend to in this organization. There is no point in pondering that which nothing can be done about.” He gathered the chess pieces and rose to his feet. “Now, Alixka, shall we make our way to The Grey Area?”

She sighed to herself, suspecting that the answers to her questions would not be given anytime soon.

~~~

When they arrived at their destination they found that the only members there were Saix and Xaldin and they were discussing something that apparently was annoying The Luna Diviner. 

“She hasn’t been here even a year and you want to send her to THAT abyss?” Xaldin asked.

“We need more information on what Hollow Bastion has become under Maleficent.” Saix replied.

“Then let me go instead. And have Alixka take my place in Agrabah.”

“What are you two discussing? And why is my name being used?” Alixka cut in. Saix turned to her with a slightly irritated expression.

“Xaldin is convinced that the new world recon mission I have will be too much for you.” He said. “Kindly explain to him that the orders are absolute?”

“May I ask where I’m being sent to?”

“Hollow Bastion.”

“And where does Xaldin want me to go?”

“Xaldin is not the one to assigns the missions so what he wants is irrelevant.” Saix snapped.

Xaldin sighed. “I mean no disrespect, Saix. But do consider, that place is swarming with Pureblood Heartless.”

“Alixka is more than capable of taking on this task. But if you're that adamant she needs a babysitter, know that Marluxia will be meeting her there.”

For once, Alixka actually agreed with Saix and ignored his thinly veiled snark. At this point she had a firm grip on her powers and felt confident she could take on any Heartless that crossed her path. She had even learned, with some difficulty, how to harness the power of her Limit in such a way that using it would not knock her out anymore. Besides, she couldn’t help but be intrigued at the idea of spending more time with Marluxia. She spoke up.

“Xaldin, I understand your concern, but don’t be. Pureblood Heartless are nothing to me.”

“See, Xaldin? The girl understands her place.”

“And like Siax said, I’ll have Marluxia with me. Hell, even if I was going solo, I could take them on!”

The Whirlwind Lancer could not help but chuckle a little at her intrepidy.

“Yes, you are right, Alixka. Pureblood Heartless are no match for you.”

“Well now that you are in agreement.” Saix replied. “Zexion, you will be joining Xaldin in Agrabah. Marluxia will meet you on sight, Alixka. Now all of you, be on your way at once.”

~~~

At once, Alixka could understand why Xaldin was unsure about her coming to this world. She rarely felt apprehensive about any of her missions but she could feel the foreboding aura resonating from the reversed waterfalls that surrounded her and the sight of the decrepit castle that stood in the distance. The world was beautiful but in an eerie and ominous sort of way. 

She could also see why so many Pureblood Heartless had been sighted here, this place seemed to be more consumed in darkness than any other world she had visited. Even so, she had her orders and needed to obey them. Alixka forced her apprehension to the farthest corner of her mind.

“So, you’ve finally arrived, Rosebud.”

She turned her direction toward Marluxia, she could feel those strange feelings begin to rise within her. When she did not respond he gave her a little smirk.

“Oh, I forgot. You don’t want me to call you that.”

“It’s...nice to see you, Marluxia.” She finally replied. “So, what are we supposed to do here?”

“Our orders are to inspect the castle, gather intel on this world, and of course, defeat any Heartless that stand in our way.”

Alixka looked up at the distant castle with another strange feeling swirling around in her chest.

“How odd...why do I have the feeling...that...I’ve been here before?”

“Have you?”

“No, and that’s what makes it feel so weird.”

Marluxia smiled at her as he took her hand, laughing a little when she quickly pulled away.

“Well perhaps you were here, Alixka...in another life…”

~~~


	9. Whispering Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alixka and Marluxia continue their mission in Hollow Bastion, but the longer they stay there, the more Alixka begins to think that she's been there before.

~~~

The longer she walked along the balconies and studied the stain glass windows and bronze pipes wrapped around the castle walls, the stronger the unsettling feeling in Alixka began to grow. No. Marluxia was wrong. She could not have been here in the past. In the flickering memories that occasionally came to her in dreams, she did recall a castle once. But that castle had been beautiful and surrounded by a shimmering light. Nothing like this strange and dilapidated place. 

So why did it seem so familiar?

“Alixka, watch out!”

Three Neoshadows jumped out at her, falling quickly under the blade of Marluxia’s scythe before they could cause any harm. Alixka abandoned her thoughts at once, they could wait.

“Please try to focus.” He chided. “This is a world unlike the others, you must be careful.”

“I know that! I was just taken by surprise!”

“Then try not to be ‘taken by surprise’ anymore if that’s the case. I have no intention to continue coming to your rescue.” He gave her that teasing smirk that always managed to embarrass and enrage her at the same time.

“Excuse you?!”

“You know, when I found out you would be with me for this mission, Xaldin practically dragged me aside and demanded that I not let anything happen to you.”

“Hmmph!” 

She walked away from Marluxia in a huff, feeling quite offended indeed. Xaldin had always praised her strength and how quickly she developed her abilities. Every mission she had been given in the last half year had been a success, even the one in Dwarf Woodlands when she had used her True Limit and became incapacitated. And Xaldin had become something of her mentor. 

Why now was he so concerned about what seemed to be just another recon mission in a slightly scary world?

“I don’t understand why he was so adamant I not do this.” Alixka continued. “It’s not like I’m still a greenhorn. And if I’m being completely honest, I could have done this mission solo. My power is strong enough, I do not need you to ‘protect’ me.”

“Is that so?” Marluxia raised an eyebrow at her as he moved closer to her.

“Of course, I have power over storms! Did Larxene ever tell you about how I managed to kick her ass that day when we were sparring? Even Xigbar has trouble keeping up with me sometimes. What is your attribute anyway? Flowers?”

At this he smirked again, tilting his head a little. “Oh, that is but a facade. While it’s true I have power over plants, my actual attribute is something else entirely.”

“Oh?’ Alixka forgot her annoyance for a brief moment, she couldn’t help but be curious. “Then what is your power, Marluxia?”

“That, dear Alixka, is a secret.” He chuckled and placed a finger against his lips. “But what I will tell you is that while I do love flowers, my true power is something far more... _ profound _ .”

Marluxia put great emphasis on that last word with a certain look that gave Alixka an involuntary chill. While she understood that he had other abilities beyond those themed around flowers that she was not aware of, she was also certain that he was toying with her again and pretended not to pick up the double-meaning.

“Still, that aside.” Marluxia continued. “I do find it interesting. Xaldin is normally such a hard ass brute. He’s not one to give much concern to anyone but himself. But he’s different with you. And I can’t help but wonder why.”

His teasing expression had vanished and there was now a look of intensity flashing in his eyes. That intriguing feeling that always flickered inside of Alixka when he spoke to her began to increase again. She looked at him thoughtfully for a moment before feeling the heat rising in her chest that threatened to show on her face.

“We should get going.” She said. “We’ve been chatting for too long.”

“I agree.” And with that he took her hand as they vanished in a cloud of black and purple, in the next moment they were inside the castle’s entrance hall.

“You...you don’t have to hold my hand you know! I can teleport now, and I understand the Dark Corridors.”

“Oh, I’m aware of that. How else are you able to so quickly elude me when I come into the greenhouse?”

Alixka jerked away from Marluxia, turning from him in case her face was as red as it felt.

“How did you know?!”

Marluxia chuckled evilly as he vanished in a black and purple mist, reappearing in front of her suddenly.

“You clearly don’t understand the Dark Corridors as well as you think, Darling.” 

He vanished again, appearing back in his original spot. Now she was sure that he was teasing her.

“I’m going to inspect the east wing of the castle. We’ll cover more ground if we split up.” She said, vanishing in her own cloud of black and purple before he had time to say anything else.

~~~

It was probably not the best idea that Alixka ever had. Splitting up was really just an excuse to be away from him for a moment. Still she was glad to have a moment to herself in order to ponder her thoughts. Wasn’t she supposed to be gathering intel on the castle? 

She forced herself to begin to actually pay attention to her surroundings. Thankfully she had not yet encounter any Heartless save for the few Neoshadows at the entrance. But she knew she had to be on her guard. Alixka summoned Stormborn as she continued to walk around the castle.

The first room she explored was the library. It was huge, though not as vast as the one at The Castle That Never Was. Several slots in the bookcases were empty, which made Alixka wonder if maybe those books were intentionally removed or even stolen. 

Before she could give more thought to this she saw a Lesser Nobody float pass her. It wasn’t one of her Vixens, but a Reaper, the one’s under Marluxia’s control. Alixka took that as a hint that he was nearby and quickly left the area.

She soon found herself in a new room standing on a strange platform that revealed the many floors of the castle with a large bronze pillar in the middle of the room and ceilings of stain glass. There appeared to be some sort of force field separating each floor, as she noticed this her mind flashed with a strange image. 

It was of a small boy and a young girl. She could not make out their faces well but she felt as though she knew them. The boy tapped the red glowing crystal next to her and turned it blue, a floating platform appeared and carried them to the very top floor.

_ That was weird. _ She thought.  _ Was that a ghost? Or maybe...another memory? _

But it did help her, she understood that she was standing at something of a lift stop that connected each floor of the castle of which there were many. From where she was standing she could only see the floors above her and summoned a Vixen to count the remaining floors of the castle; there were seven including the base level. Alixka was on the main level and decided to explore the next floor up, when she arrived there were three ways she could go and she decided to pick one way at random that led her to large hallway.

Everything around her appeared in disarray, as though this area had been overlooked by the castle’s dark mistress or she simply did not find use for this area. Another image flashed in Alixka’s mind, the boy from before, running down the hallway. Again she could not make out his face but he appeared younger than her first image of him and when she saw him stop at a particular door, she took it as a sign to check out what was behind it. At this point she was too curious to remember that she had never been to this castle before.

Another room in a great clutter, that appeared to have been a bedroom in it’s better days. Nothing stuck out to Alixka at first, until she noticed the fading pink walls. None of the other walls in the castle were this color and she suspected that even in better days, the walls still stood out from the rest of the castle.

_ Goodnight, Miss. _

A voice filled her hears, so real that she raised her weapon in cautious reflex. But when she looked around she found herself alone. Now this place was beginning to give her the creeps. 

_ That voice. It sounded so familiar to her, and so very warm.  _

Before leaving her eyes caught sight of the windows. She looked out of them and saw from where she was standing she could see a great Heartless crest carved into the front of the castle. The castle from her memories had no such thing and for that Alixka felt somewhat relieved.

_ But then again, that could have been an addition made by Maleficent. _

At once she shook the thought out of her head and focused on checking out the next room. NO. She did NOT remember this place. AT ALL. Still, she kept that thought in the corner of her subconscious for later contemplation.

Most of the other rooms on that level were more or less the same with little sticking out to her. Interestingly enough, Alixka had encountered few heartless. From how Xaldin had described it, she was under the idea that she would have been bombarded with them by now. Maybe it was because she had summoned more of her Vixens ahead of her wherever she went to take care of them. The final room she explored appear to be a reception room. There were many bookcases, not as many as in the library and most of the books were still in place, confirming her previous thoughts that this area had been overlooked and the missing books in the library intentionally so.

There was something else that stuck out to her, probably more so than the bookcases. In the corner of the room there was a beautiful golden harp, an instrument that quite fascinated her. She had never played one but she recalled hearing it being played once during one of her missions in another world and she had been quite taken with it’s sweet melody. As she approached the instrument Alixka felt a strange warmth rise within her that confused her but at the same time she found pleasant.

_ My Lady, please be still! _

Another strange voice came into her head, and again it felt so familiar. But instead of jumping or summoning Stormborn, she felt the strange warmth rise up inside of her chest and in another moment she was laughing to herself. This was so perplexing. True she had laughed before during her life as a Nobody, but what brought on this laughter felt so strong to her that if she didn’t know any better she would have thought it to be a laugh of real emotion. Even more perplexing, the voice that came to her sounded very much like that of Vexen’s. 

No. That was impossible, wasn’t it? What was this castle doing to her?

Out of curiosity, she reached out and touched the instrument, running her fingers lightly along the strings to produce a faint melody. Her mind flashed with another image; it was of a man standing over her, taking her hands and forming them around the strings of the harp, the voice she heard again strongly resembled Vexen’s but sounded far more...gentle. She also thought she heard the soft sound of laughter, that belonging to a young girl. Alixka hesitated for a long time before she finally decided to sit at the harp. She felt as though she was in a trance as she removed her black gloves and bought her fingers to the strings, plucking a few notes thoughtfully before her fingers began to move with more confidence. The song she played was not one she ever remembered hearing, but it sounded beautiful to her, beautiful and, once again, strangely familiar.

“Enchanting, though not the most diligent way to be spending your mission.”

Marluxia’s voice did not register to her right away, Alixka turned to him but she felt as though she was still in her trance and did not respond right away. He approached her slowly, seeing in the normally temperamental brunette a look that the pink haired Nobody was not used to seeing.

“Did you actually manage to gather any information, Alixka?”

“Of course I did!” The insulting implication of his words quickly waking her from her trance.

“Judging by what your doing, you will forgive me if I do not believe you, Darling.”

Alixka tried to form a response but found herself for once at a loss for words. The tone in his voice was not that of irritation or even teasing. There really was nothing in his voice at all that she could interpret, only that he seemed to be thinking deeply about something as he spoke. Finally he smiled.

“Where did you learn to play so beautifully?”

Her hand rested on the harp for a long time before she looked up at him with a somewhat sad sounding sigh.

“You know what? I don’t know.”

He held her deep violet gaze as he placed a gentle hand on her back that Alixka found she strangely did not mind. Perhaps because her head was occupied with other thoughts for once.

“Would you mind playing some more?”

She could not help but smile a little as her hands began to work on the strings once again in the way they did before. Meaning she played almost on instinct, not knowing at all what she was doing or how she was doing it, this time a different melody. As she did so she glanced up at Marluxia and noticed his blue eyes watching her in a way that under normal circumstances would have made her feel embarrassed. 

Not now, instead she found herself enjoying his attention and got a strange sense of satisfaction in how those beautiful blue eyes looked at her. What sort of spell had this castle put her under?

His gentle hand moved slowly from her back to her shoulder, before resting on her hand and stopping her playing. The warmth in Alixka began to form as he leaned into her slowly, holding her gaze intensely with his own. Her eyes began to flutter.

“It’s clear that at some point in your past life, someone taught you how to play the harp.” He began. “And whoever did taught you exceedingly well. So much so that you can retain such talent even as a Nobody. Incredible, Alixka.”

“Th...thank you.”

That warmth that was forming inside of her rose quickly in it’s intensity. A feeling of anxiousness returned and she tried to turn from his intense blue gaze. Marluxia took her chin to firmly kept her eyes on his.

“Why do you always try to turn away from me?”

The intensity in his eyes continued to burn through her. Her own eyes began to flicker up and down his face in an attempt to free herself from the burning sensation. He leaned in closer to her, not removing his hand from hers. Alixka couldn’t help but notice how close his lips now were to hers; how pretty they were in color and shape, and how soft they appeared. A strange new heat began to develop inside of her but in an area that was far more.. _.indecent. _

She asked herself again, WHAT was this castle doing to her?

“Marluxia…”

“And why is your hand trembling?”

“I...I…”

“Do I frighten you, Alixka?”

The question caused a sharp spark to go off in her. No. He didn’t frighten her, Nobodies couldn’t even feel fear right? But he did stir something inside of her that was not exactly fear, but it was something she did not understand. And the longer his eyes stayed on her, the stronger it became. 

Thankfully Alixka did not have to answer for in that moment there was distant sound that sounded like a loud thump. She got up from her seat and walked out of the room into the hallway, it was empty. He quickly passed her, as though their briefly intimate moment had not just happened.

“We’ve been here for a while. There’s one more place I want to check out before we RTC. Come on.”

~~~

She did not mind much this time when Marluxia took her hand as they moved through the Dark Corridor to their last destination toward the top of the castle. They walked together through a red carpeted walkway and staircase lined with candles that gave off an eerie blue glow. It was a grand hall and it was just like all the other rooms in the castle; eerie in it’s dilapidated loveliness.

Once again Alixka felt as though she had been here before, and at this point she was beginning to wonder if it was actually true. What if the images she saw were actual memories? She closed her eyes briefly and saw another image that she was certain now was of her: she was holding someone’s hands and wearing a beautiful gown of purple. They were dancing together. But she could not make out the face of the person, only that it was someone she felt that she knew.

_ Someone that she knew now... _

Another thump awoken her from her thoughts. They were being watched.

“Heartless!”

Several Neoshadows immediately surrounded Alixka and Marluxia, as well as some shadows and a few Invisibles. Both of them quickly summoned their weapons.

“Will I need to come to your rescue again?” Marluxia asked with a smirk.

“What the hell do you think?!” Alixka replied sharply, raising her spear and slashing at a nearby Neoshadow.

He laughed as he swung his scythe at the enemies surrounding him.

“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear, Rosebud.”

“I told you not to call me that! UGH!!”

The brunette took her temporary irritation out on a nearby Neoshadow. An Invisible gave chase to her and she quickly outran it, clashing blades when the dark creature came too close to her. But she laughed. The thrill of battle was one that Alixka had grown to take great pleasure in. Her powers made her feel truly invincible and she would never forgive the creatures responsible for her lack of heart.

“Gale of Fury, hear my call!”

She summoned a violent gust of wind that temporarily immobilized the Invisible before she slashed at it. Alixka struck down a few more Invisibles and did not notice when a Neoshadow grabbed her legs from beneath her. She lost her footing and was immediately beset by a group of them. Using her gale, she was able to blow them away long enough to get back to her feet. She grinned but then heard Marluxia’s voice call out to her.

“Look out!”

She realized too late that she was surrounded by a dark ring that was enclosing around her. Alixka was stunned by the Invisibles spell and did not move quick enough before it slashed at her violently with it’s own sword.

~~~

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mentioned this before, but I got a lot of inspiration for this chapter from the song "Once Upon a December". In my mind, that's the song that Alixka plays for Marluxia on the harp. I found the most beautiful harp version of it on YouTube that I listened to constantly while I wrote this.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUizd1iz9jE


	10. A Confusing Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Though successful, Alixka does not complete her mission without a few bruises.

~~~

Her body made rough contact with the ground before Marluxia could come to her aid, but even with her body now swelling with pain, Alixka refused to be be rendered defenseless. The winged Heartless was about to attack again but before the blow could fully strike, Alixka raised her spear in quick defense. The Invisible flew back before lunging at her making Alixka jump back. This was the one thing she hated about Invisibles, how relentless they were even compared to other Heartless.

_No, Alixka. Don’t do it, don’t use your True Limit! You can take this creature out without it!_

Instead of relying on her True Limit, Alixka quickly slashed at the monster before forcing it back from her with a powerful gale. It hit the nearby wall but had no time to fight back before she slashed again at it, viciously and with perhaps a little too much vigor. Pain shot up her strong arm that left her momentarily open to attack. Several of Invisibles quickly flew at her.

_Fuck it! I’ll just use half my limit! That shouldn't be too bad._

“Let the tempest consume you!”

She called back Stormborn and raised it to transform its appearance from spear to staff. In one powerful move Alixka planted the staff into the ground causing a shock-wave of hail that engulfed her assailants. Still on the ground, she watched with weary satisfaction as the dark creatures surrounding her vanished.

Marluxia finished off the remaining Heartless with ease and rushed to Alixka’s side, he reached out to her but she brushed him off with an annoyed laugh.

“That was fun!”

She brought herself to her feet but quickly gritted her teeth as another sharp ache burned through her arm. Alixka turned her back to Marluxia and grabbed her arm with her other, but he could still see her pain.

“You’re quite reckless, do you know that? I guess you do live up to your title, using your limit on such...”

“Oh shut up!” She snapped. “I got rid of them didn’t I?”

“With some assistance.” The pink haired man smirked. “Are you so sure you could have done this solo?”

“UGH!!!”

Alixka began to walk back to the entrance but stopped as she heard what she was certain were footsteps.

“We’re not alone anymore…” She spoke in a whisper. “Could it be...the witch?”

“I believe our mission is now complete, Alixka.” Marluxia grabbed her hand, careful to avoid the arm that pained her, and summoned a Dark Corridor.

Within moments they were standing at Twilight's View. Alixka found that her arm was causing her more pain than she could conceal and struggled to walk. Marluxia tried to place his hand on her shoulder but she jerked away from him, causing him to sigh.

“We should really go down to see Vexen.” He said. “You may have pulled something.”

“I’m fine!”

Just as she spoke these words Xaldin passed by, he took one look at Alixka holding her arm in pain and frowned.

“What happened to you? Why are you holding your arm like that?”

Alixka struggled to smile through her pain. “The mission was successful.”

“Answer my question!”

“Nothing happened. I was just cornered by a few Heartless and…”

“A few?!” Marluxia cut in. “More than a few! And you were stunned! I’m telling you Alixka, you need to at least see if…”

Xaldin did not wait to hear anything else. He grabbed Alixka’s hand, when he pulled at her arm and made her cry out, he took the other hand and they made their way down to the Crooked Ascension with Marluxia following behind them.

~~~

“I specifically remember telling you to keep an eye on her, No. XI!”

Xaldin shouted at the younger man while Vexen examined the girl’s arm. Marluxia folded his arms and regarded him with a calm that infuriated The Whirlwind Lancer.

“I did what you requested.” He replied.

“Then WHY is No. IV checking for broken bones?!”

“I’m sure her arm isn’t broken.”

“How the hell would you know?!”

“As much as I’m loath to agree with No. XI.” Vexen cut in. “She only pulled a muscle. Her arm is not broken.”

The pink haired Nobody couldn’t help but smirk a little.

“Alixka is a big girl, albeit a reckless one. But she was holding her own well enough before this unfortunate incident. Your concern for her is touching but not necessary.” His eyes briefly met with those of Xaldin’s as they both recalled a similar incident months earlier, the deliberate indignance turning his annoyance into fully developed anger. “Hmmm. If I didn’t know better…”

“THAT IS BESIDE THE POINT MARLUXIA!!!” 

“Calm yourself! Both of you!”

“Xaldin is the one losing his…”

“Enough or I’ll send both of you out!”

All the while Alixka sat silently on the infirmary bed, listening to the men argue about her while Vexen pressed and prodded at her arm with his bare fingers and making her feel a great deal of awkwardness on top of her pain. But something in the way they regarded Marluxia made her feel strangely uncomfortable. She spoke up.

“Don’t blame Marluxia for my own recklessness!”

She couldn’t believe what she was saying but still could not stop herself.

“Marluxia tried to warn me but I wasn’t paying attention. I swung my spear a little too hard trying to get away from them. And also…” with a burning sensation beginning to form in her stomach. “He defended me from some Neoshadows when I wasn’t paying attention when we entered the castle. But that’s all on me, I will not be so careless next time.”

“There won’t be a next time, at least not for a few days.” Vexen pulled a small vial from a nearby cupboard and handed it to Alixka. “Considering the injury was sustained on your dominant arm, it will make combat profoundly difficult. Normally, such an injury would take at least a month to heal. But drink this for the next three days and your arm should heal within a week.”

“Until then.” Xaldin continued. “You are not to perform any missions that require serious fighting or are not strictly recon.”

“I don’t think Saix would like that.” Alixka said.

“Saix is NOT the superior!” He snapped. “Though he may act like it and may even want to be, he is NOT! I will speak to Xemnas about this myself if he wants to be a little prick about it!”

“In the meantime.” Vexen began. “No strenuous activity for the first three days. There are several other members of this Organization that can perform missions while you recover. Understood?”

Alixka sighed and nodded her agreement. Marluxia turned to leave.

“Well forgive me for being present when Alixka was put in harm's way; as we all are when we fight Heartless. Alixka, please recover soon.”

He left the room, after a few moments of silence, Xaldin’s face softened and he regarded Alixka with a look of dejection.

“Your resolve is commendable, child.” He began. “But this is not the first time you’ve put yourself in harm’s way like this.”

“That was then, this is now!” she replied, trying her best not to sound offended. “I’m stronger now.”

“Yes, you are stronger, Alixka. I am not denying that. But Nobody's are not invincible. You’ve been extremely lucky thus far but you might not be so next time. And if you fall in battle you won’t be reborn to a new existence as you did when you were a Somebody. Nothing exists when a Nobody is destroyed.”

She blinked. “Nothing?”

“Nothing.” He repeated. “We have no hearts, we don’t truly exist to begin with. Dying for us means fading into nothingness. No hope for recompletion. Nothing.”

_Nothingness..._

A sudden chill ran through Alixka as she took in the weight of his words. This was the first time she had heard of this and in some ways, the idea of nothingness scared her even more so than her realization that she had no heart. She understood that she had to be more careful. Slowly she pulled herself to her feet.

“I’m sorry.”

“What’s important is that you were not more severely hurt.” A small smile formed on his face. “And your mission was successful as you said. But listen to Vexen and do not strain yourself. Now go to your room and rest.”

“Shouldn’t I report to Saix first?”

“To you room, child. Or I’ll escort you myself.”

Alixka couldn’t help but smile a little at his vigilant regard for her. She knew it was genuine even if it was a bit patronizing. It was almost as though he cared about her, if he had the heart to care that is.

“As you wish, Sir.”

The smile on Xaldin’s face changed to that of an amused grin as she vanished in a black and purple cloud.

~~~

It was still rather early in the afternoon but Alixka returned to her room nevertheless. Laying down proved difficult because she couldn’t rest on the side of her injured arm. So she rested on her back; arm sore, eyes glued to the white ceiling and her mind aswarm of thoughts.

Though no longer in the mysterious castle, she could not help but feel as though she was still under its spell. She closed her eyes and attempted to recapture her last memory before the Heartless appeared but no matter how hard she tried she could not make out the face of the person who was dancing with her. She only knew that it was someone she knew now, but who? Alixka was certain she had never known any of the members in her former life, but then again, she could only remember her life in Traverse Town and nothing beyond that.

Maybe if she could remember more from the castle in her dreams, that could be a clue to lead her to the answer.

That was not the only spell that she felt herself under. When she closed her eyes again she imagined herself sitting at the harp, playing unfamiliar-familiar melodies with Marluxia watching her intently. His final words still rang in her ears: “Do I frighten you, Alixka?”

No! Of course not! She feared nothing, certainly not the flowery pink haired Nobody. She did not fear how his figure gracefully loomed over her, or how even the way he walked was dripping with elegance. Alixka did not fear the way he teased her enticingly, or the way his intense blue eyes gazed at her when they spoke. She did not fear his playful smirks and most of all she did NOT fear those plush peachy lips.

No...NO. He did NOT frighten her. But loath she was to admit it, he strangely mesmerized her.

An undetermined amount of time had passed. Her eyes had been closed for a while but she couldn’t determine if she had fallen asleep when she heard a gentle knock on the door.

“If you aren’t Saix come to chew me out then please go away.” She groaned sleepily.

“I like to think my company is far more pleasant.”

Alixka’s body jerked forward, all sleepiness vanishing when she recognized Marluxia’s voice. Damn, did he have the worst timing. Before she could decide if she wanted to see him, she saw the black and purple mist of him appearing before her. She gave him a look of annoyance.

“I...would have let you in myself.”

“I figured you need to stay still and rest for a while. And here, something to help you.” In his hands was a small black kettle with two cups. “I made this using some herbs and flowers from my garden, I assure you that it tastes far better than any potion Vexen gave you.”

Alixka bit her tongue to prevent herself from smiling but her eyes betrayed her. Such a thoughtful gesture but why did it have to come from Marluxia? She moved a little on her bed to make room for him and watched as he poured the floral tea into the two cups. When she took in it’s fragrant aroma with her first sip, her smile revealed itself. Marluxia smiled too.

“Rose, Lavender and Calendula. All with healing properties.”

“Thank you. This is...very kind of you.”

“Contrary to what is said about me, I can be very kind at times.”

“It seems to me that the only member you are really kind to is Larxene.”

“I guess. But she’s really the only member who I find interesting.” He turned to her with a knowing smirk. “And of course, I find you interesting as well.”

The brunette pinched herself discreetly to prevent herself from blushing. His tone made it uncertain to know if he was being serious or just teasing again. He did seem to take a particular interest in her, and she couldn’t help but be curious as she took another sip of her tea.

“What do you find interesting about me?” A mischievous grin creeping up onto her face. “Is it because I’m the only other girl here?”

He chuckled. “That is part of it, but while there are similarities between you and Larxene…”

“WHAT similarities?!”

“Well for one you two are both audacious…”

“HUH?!”

“...and temperamental…”

“I am not!”

“...but honestly, that’s where the similarities end. I find myself drawn to you in a different way than her. And besides…” With another smirk. “I can’t get under her skin the same way I can with you.”

“Gee thanks!”

“See, point proven.”

“UGH!!”

In her momentary fit of irritation she twisted her body in a way that flared up some nerves in her arm. Alixka bit down on her lip to keep from groaning. Marluxia could see her pain and placed his cup on a nearby chair with a sigh.

“You get worked up too easy.” He said. “You arm won’t recover unless you learn to relax some.”

There was a long pause, the pink haired Nobody looked at her thoughtfully before deciding to move closer to her. Alixka shifted a little, unsure what he was going to do and feeling slightly uncomfortable. Gentle hands rested on her arm and began to knead it in a way that was odd to the brunette but not necessarily painful.

“Marluxia…” She began timidly. “What...are you doing?”

“You’re far too tense.” He replied. “I’m helping you.”

Alixka blushed as he continued to massage her with amazing skill. While it didn’t hurt much, she certainly felt apprehensive with his hands touching her. But it was a more pleasant apprehension if such a thing could exist, similar to when he had brushed and arranged her hair right before a mission a few weeks prior. There was an odd sense of closeness in Marluxia’s touch that made her feel that strange warmth again. She couldn’t help but want more.

His hands crept up her arm slowly toward her shoulder. Alixka’s eyes flicked up briefly to see that his were watching her intently, it was only for a second but his glance shifted to her own before she could cast it back down. A spark with off in the brunette that was both frightening and thrilling at the same time and she turned her head towards the ceiling.

“I don’t think what you’re looking for is up there.” He chuckled softly, placing his hands fully on her shoulders and inching closer to her.

_Could you go five minutes without teasing me?_

“Thank you, but…” Alixka shut her eyes as she tried to form her sentence. “I feel fine now. I should probably…” Her voice trailed off as she locked glances with him involuntarily. The intensity had returned and she felt as though those beautiful blue eyes would drown her if he did not look away. But she couldn’t bring herself to do so.

“You’re trembling, Alixka.”

_Don’t speak to me like that, you beautiful idiot! Your voice is too gentle._

“Huh?” Her face began to become hot as she struggled to drag her glance away from his. “No. No I’m not!”

“You are. Perhaps your in pain?” Marluxia leaned closer into her, their faces mere inches away from each other now.

_I’m not really in pain now, not after such a nice massage. But I’ll never say that out loud._

“No, I’m not.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

_What’s wrong is that you aren't kissing me!_

“Nothing!”

He couldn’t help but smile a little at her obvious lie. Truthfully, there was something wrong with Alixka but she could not tell herself what it was. Her mind was a torrent of contradictory thoughts that she could not trust which ones were true for her and which were not. The only thing she could think to do was close her eyes and turn away. To her surprise, she felt Marluxia pull away from her a little.

“Do I frighten you, Alixka?”

 _NO! YES! NO!_ **_I DON’T KNOW ANYMORE!!!_ **

Alixka’s face turned back to his with slight indigence. That was a question that she had asked herself not too long ago, and she had been so sure of the answer. When she was alone. But now with Marluxia so close to her, his eyes piercing into hers, she was not so sure.

_No. I’m not. Stop patronizing me wish such a stupid question!_

That is what she told herself but she was still unsure. Marluxia pulled away further with a sigh.

“Clearly I do. Forgive me if I’ve made you uncomfort…”

Impulsively, she crashed her lips against his. It really was impulsive. But this was the only way Alixka could think of to prove to Marluxia that she was not afraid of him. With his lips touching her own, she felt a strange electric current coursing through her, if Nobodies truly could not experience emotions, this was some damn good convincing.

After a few moments though she noticed that he was not kissing back. It was so sudden that he did not know how to respond or even to comprehend what was happening. She had been convinced that maybe the way he had treated her today was some sort of indication that he would enjoy this.

But what if it was all just teasing after all? What if it were all just in her mind? Was she now trying to fool herself into believing things that truly were not there? She began to tremble and pulled away from the kiss as quickly as she had initiated it. They stared at each other for a long time, neither of them making a single move or saying a single word.

“Alixka…” Marluxia began, for once at a loss for words. “Alixka…”

“Leave.”

The word left her mouth almost on it’s own free will. She did not understand what was going on inside of her but she knew that it was something she had to sort out alone without so much mental stimulation.

“Thank you for your consideration but…” She felt as though she was shrinking in size and turned fully away from him. “I’m sorry.”

He did not try to convince her otherwise, only took one last thoughtful look at her before rising to his feet.

“If that’s what you want.”

“I’m sorry...I’m sorry…”

“What are you apologizing for?”

“I’m sorry, just...leave.”

Without another word Marluxia vanished in the black and purple cloud from which he came. Leaving Alixka alone once again. Alone with nothing save her own confusing thoughts for company.

~~~

_WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH ME?! WHY THE HELL DID I KISS HIM?!_

It was much later and Alixka was staring up at the ceiling again, in a fierce internal battle with herself. Sleep refused to come to her and no matter how hard she tried to force her thoughts in a new direction, they returned to Marluxia. When she thought she felt herself drifting off into something resembling sleep, all she could see in her shut eyes were images of him. In frustration Alixka rose from her bed and waved her hand, summoning one of her Vixens. She stared at the purple and silver creature for a few moments as it floated next to her awaiting her command.

“Go...go to the greenhouse and see if No. XI is there. If he is then return to me at once.”

The Nobody made a gesture of obedience and vanished, leaving Alixka alone again with her thoughts. Maybe if she spoke to him, apologize again, then perhaps she could make sense of what she was feeling. And with that idea the Vixen returned to her, it’s task done. With a new sense of confidence she summoned a Dark Corridor, temporarily banishing her anxiety to a far corner of her mind.

As she walked up to the glass double doors leading inside, that anxiety began to reform inside of her. But she had already left her room so she felt that she had to see this through. Silently, she pushed open the door, and was immediately confronted with something she did not want to see.

_Was that...Larxene?_

It was. From where Alixka stood she could see Larxene standing with Marluxia, they obviously did not notice when she opened the door and had their backs turned to her. The sudden sound of Larxene’s shrill laughter mixed with his own stabbed Alixka sharply and without even realizing it, Stormborn appeared in her weak arm causing her pain. She clenched her teeth to keep from making any sound and quickly summoned a corridor to leave.

If Alixka had come only five minutes earlier, than perhaps the progression of events over the next few days would have been vastly different. Things are rarely just as they appear and the same was true for what she had seen. Had she stayed for even a few minutes longer, she would have understood that the conversation between Marluxia and Larxene was nothing like what she thought, and that Marluxia was still thinking about her. 

He did not know why he was expecting to find Alixka here. Had he not seen her not even ten minutes ago? Even so, something in Marluxia always secretly wished that he might come across her hiding somewhere in his greenhouse. It was something of an unspoken game between them, ever since their first meeting in this place. 

But not now, not after what had just happened.

Without realizing it, his fingers brushed against his lips, eyes closed while recalling that kiss between them. How many times had he dreamt about those lips? How many times had he thought of lovely it would be to kiss her? Only to freeze and become so dumbfounded when it finally happened? 

It didn’t make sense to him. If all he truly wanted was her body, why did he feel such a sharpness in his chest?

“I thought you’d be with Alixka.”

He removed himself from his thoughts long enough to turn to his blonde friend. Despite the heaviness he was experiencing, he managed to smile at Larxene, albeit a tiny one. 

“She doesn’t want to see me.” He said, to which she made a face at him.

“You’ve said that already!” She giggled. “But you also said you think she secretly already wants you. Which is it?”

“I don’t know anymore.” 

Marluxia sighed as he turned his attention to his flowers, waving magic over them to assist in their growth. Larxene took a few steps towards him, tilting her head curiously. There was a look in the eyes of her pink haired friend that she never thought she’d see.

“Didn’t you two have a mission together today? I’d figure if you were ever gonna score with her then today…”

“Well I didn’t! Alright?!” 

The sharpness in his tone surprised him just as much as it surprised her. Just as he was slowly becoming surprised at just how much it stung for Alixka to reject him, before he was given the chance to respond to her. For a long time Marluxia and Larxene did not speak a word to each other, both of them staring at each other and thinking more or less the same thing. 

“You like her don’t you?” She said at last.

“What?”

“Did I stammer? You like her!” 

“Well, yes. I do. I think she’s gorgeous and…”

“But you like her as more than a potential toy!”

“Don’t be absurd, Larxene! What you speak is not a thing possible with our kind!”

“Don’t give me that stoic Nobody bullshit!” Larxene folded her arms together in mock anger. “You’ll start sounding like Xemnas and I just had to deal with a lecture for him!” 

He laughed at this but she did not seem to find it amusing. But in the next his tone became more serious. 

“If that’s the case. Then don’t you like Alixka too?”

“Shut up!” She snapped, turning her back to him in case she was blushing. “Yeah she’s cute but that’s all I’m willing to admit! It’s not like I have the heart to feel anything else for her.”

“And now YOU are the one speaking stoic Nobody bullshit, Larxene!”

They laughed at each other, caught up in their little joke that they did not realize that they were being watched. 

This was what Alixka saw and from the outside looking in, it was a peculiarly sickening thing for her to see Marluxia and Larxene together and laughing. What she experienced was confusing beyond words and that confusion quickly turned to anger as she stopped herself from confronting them and turned to leave as quietly as she had come.

Unaware of the intrusion, they continued to talk. The Maiden of Tempests intrigued them both but for different reasons. Despite what she would often say, Marluxia was certain that Larxene’s thoughts towards Alixka were very much aligned with his own but since her pride would never allow her to take the initiative, he had decided to do so himself. Perhaps in the future once he had established a decent rapport with the brunette, he would share her with the blonde. 

Those had been his thoughts at first, but now he was not sure what he wanted from her anymore. Only that he wanted the chance to speak to her again. To understand where her head was at and in a way, figure out where his was as well. 

“She kissed me…” he murmured, without realizing he was even doing so. The look of disgust that his friend often wore grew bigger.

“She KISSED you?! Alixka kissed you?! And not the other way around?! Fine! I’ll ask again! WHY ARE YOU HERE AND NOT WITH HER NOW?!”

“It’s not that simple! After...we...she pulled away from me, she told me to leave her room. That’s when I came here.”

The blonde raised an eyebrow at him, clearly Larxene and Marluxia had different approaches to the matter of seduction. If she had been in his place, Alixka would now be squirming under her, moaning and begging. Perhaps he did want her as more than a plaything. But wasn’t that completely against their nature? Weren’t they supposed to not have hearts?

“It’s not rocket science!” She finally said. “If you like her, say so!”

“After what just happened?”

“Well obviously don’t go back to her room tonight, you’ll piss her off! Wait until tomorrow.”

Marluxia hesitated, his eyes were upon the white blossoms in full bloom before him. Xaldin had instructed that he plant them a few months previous. The Whirlwind Lancer never struck him as one to have much appreciation for flowers so the request had taken him by surprise. But the more he thought about it now, he had made the request mere days after Alixka had joined the Organization. Could it have been a coincidence?

“Do you see these flowers, Larxene?” 

She looked at them and gave a small nod.

“They’re called Kalai. Xaldin had me plant them about six months ago. I don’t understand why but whenever I look at them, I think of Alixka.”

No one could tell Larxene why there was once again a burning sensation in her chest. Certainly not her herself. But she bit her lip and suddenly slapped her friend on the shoulder.

“Don’t be like that! You’ll have a chance to play with her! Tomorrow, tell her, kiss her again if you want! And do it soon before one of the other asshats here gets to her!”

She laughed hard and loud, exaggerating some in order to smother the strange feeling in her chest as she left him. But the moment she was back in the hallway she hit the wall with her fists over and over again. 

No. Wasn’t she over this? Had she not resolved a long time ago that he would never feel for her what she felt for him? Weren’t feelings just an illusion for them anyway?

It was true they had always had an unspoken connection and occasionally enjoyed each other’s company in _other_ ways. But it was never anything serious, just something fun to pass the time in an otherwise mundane and hollow existence. There was absolutely no reason for Larxene to have such pangs in her chest at that moment and with this cute new arrival, she now had all the more incentive to swallow those feelings. 

Perhaps having a heart was a good thing after all. She wasn’t supposed to feel anyway and if she did, this would surely be painful. In that sense, what was the point? This is what she told herself, over and over again. 

_You’re one lucky cunt, Alixka! I would have killed you by now if you weren’t so cute and so much fun to fuck with!_

~~~

“Are you feeling better today?”

As usual, Alixka had not been paying attention to Zexion or to their game. She shook her head.

“Not really, I just don’t feel like being stuck in my room.”

“Confinement can be stifling.” Zexion agreed. “But you heard what they told you. No missions for the next week.”

Alixka signed. Xaldin had indeed spoken to the Superior about her injury, she had expected for him (and her) to be fiercely rebuked but Xemnas had strangely agreed to the request that she not do any missions for the next week. 

She guessed that she owed his leniency to her outstanding track record but she didn’t like it. Less than two days had past and she felt like a bird in a cage. It didn’t help matters that she had not seen Marluxia at all since that awkward moment in her room. Apprehension had been given time to truly fester in her mind.

“Zexion.” She began. “What do you know about Marluxia?”

The slate haired Nobody shrugged at the question, pretending that he had not been taken aback a little.

“Marluxia? Why do you want to know about him?”

“Are you going to answer me or not?”

He shrugged again with indifference. “He was brought into the Organization by Xaldin and Xigbar about a year after we were first formed. Larxene was introduced not too long afterward and they’ve been inseparable since. He doesn’t interact much with anyone else unless he has to and the fact that he has chosen to associate himself with her is enough for me not to try to interact with him myself. Or to care either way.”

Alixka hesitated. “Well...he interacts with me…”

Zexion looked up from the chessboard with a raised eyebrow. “Does he? How interesting.”

“Is it? How so?”

Zexion did not answer her right away, he gave her a foreboding look.

“Alixka…I don’t think you should trust Marluxia. He may be among our ranks and wear our coat but…” In a slightly hesitant tone. “I can’t help but feel like his own desires are not in alignment with the goals of this Organization. Both him and Larxene.”

The words hit her like a sharp icy chill. This was not what she needed to hear in her current state of mind.

“I don’t understand.”

“What is there not to understand?” Zexion sounded slightly irritable now. “I don’t believe that he has the best interests of this Organization at heart.”

“But we don’t have hearts.”

“You know what I mean!” He snapped. “He doesn't talk to anyone besides that shrew and if he talks to you, it’s not because of anything genuine. Please be wary of him, Alixka.”

She sighed. “You’re telling me not to trust another member of this group.”

“What I’m telling you is to tread carefully where No. XI is concerned. You will do whatever you want, that’s what you do, but my advice stands nonetheless.” 

She sighed again, too preoccupied with what he had just said to focus any longer on their game. 

“Checkmate.”

~~~

Despite his words and despite the fact he had been assigned to Hollow Bastion, Alixka truly wished she could have joined Zexion on his outing instead of having to return to her room. She hated being confined but there was really no other place in the castle she could go. The image of Marluxia and Larxene continued to play in her mind despite her not understanding why. Why did she care? Like Zexion had said, he was always with her and that was true even before she had arrived only six months ago.

But she also could not forget that awkward kiss. What she had been certain was only to prove a point turned out to be much more than she had ever expected it would be. A part of her wished she could forget it all together while another part of her wished she could kiss him again. And this time, she hoped that he would kiss her back.

The more she thought about it, the more Alixka was certain that she did not want to see Marluxia at all if she could help it. To that end, perhaps staying in her room was for the best. With a wave of her hand, she summoned several Vixens.

“I do not wish to interact with No. XI unless it’s an absolute necessity.” She said. “You will alert me of his presence wherever I am in the castle and warn me if he is nearby. Go now.”

The Nobodies vanished. Alixka fell back on her bed, hoping sleep would come to her easier than it had in the past few hours. If only she had injured her left arm, then at least she could write in her journal.

The silver and purple swirls of one of her Vixens appeared before her. It swayed back and forth quickly, it’s four silky tails waving frantically.

“What is it?”

She froze at a gentle knock at the door, she knew who it was. Quickly and silently she rose from the bed and summoned a corridor.

“Alixka, are you there?”

Alixka had no idea where she would go, but she knew she had to leave. Shutting her eyes she jumped into the corridor, when she opened them again she found herself at Havoc’s Divide. Thankfully this was not a place off limits to her and it was empty. Even if Luxord did show up, they had a decent accord and she was sure he would not mind her intrusion.

“Go back to my quarters.” She said to the Vixen that had followed her. “Return to me the moment No. XI is gone.”

Yes. This place would work well as a hiding place. A good place for her to be alone and sort out her thoughts. Her anxiety. Her pain. Her confusion.

~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know...I finished writing this chapter feeling somewhat sorry for Zexion. Not sorry enough to uproot the plot of this, but still. I also couldn't help but feel sorry for Larxene too. Even though I always found her entertaining, she was never really a favorite of mine until after KHUX and especially after KH3.
> 
> Probably the biggest change to this work from it's original 2016 version is Alixka and Larxene eventually becoming friends. It just sort of happened, and female romantic rivalry is kind of passe to my mind. I really do hope Larxene gets her man in a future game!


	11. Kiss From a Rose (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a week of avoiding him, and after several nights of less than pleasant dreams, Alixka finds herself in a rare position of vulnerability and also finds that she cannot avoid Marluxia any longer. Or how she feels about him.

~~~

It had been another long day and now it was getting late. Alixka had spent nearly half the day in the library still in her attempt at eluding Marluxia, perhaps now she could return to her room. She pushed herself away from the table and rose to her feet but as she made her way towards the door she was stopped by the swirling silver of one of her Vixens snaking around her. Alixka knew at once why it was there; from the hallway outside she heard Marluxia’s voice and sighed despondently.

_He must have just returned from a mission. This may take a while._

Instead of leaving, she quickly sprinted to one of the back shelves of the library. Alixka thought she heard the sound of someone opening the door and quickly found a spot to sit between two large bookshelves. She made a signal to her Nobody that meant to see if she was alone in the library. It disappeared but returned within a few seconds, much to her chagrin. That meant that Marluxia was nearby and she was stuck.

“Return to me once No. XI is out of sight.” She softly commanded the Vixen.

The Nobody obediently disappeared and she was once again alone with her thoughts. It had been seven days now since her mission in Hollow Bastion, since she hurt her arm, since the last time she had spoken to Marluxia. Seven days since that very awkward kiss. And seven days since she had seen him and Larxene in the greenhouse. Alixka had tried not to think of that day but everytime she closed her eyes she heard their laughter and it made her burn with what she could only understand now as jealousy.

But why? That was the question she asked herself over and over in her mind. Why did she care? Why was she feeling the way she did now? The fact that she was not supposed to have any emotions notwithstanding, if she did, they would still not make any sense. While Alixka had to admit she had always found herself drawn to Marluxia, that attraction was often mixed with apprehension.

His teasing embarrassed her yes, but not in the way that Xigbar teased her that made her feel gross and infuriated. The Graceful Assassin had a rather charming way of getting under her skin and she could not help but always be curious at what he would say next, even if it did make her blush. And whenever Marluxia was close to her, something inside of her always felt warm, tingling, almost giddy.

The truth was, she wanted to be close to him, she wanted to feel his eyes on her like she did when she was playing the harp for him. She wanted to kiss him again. And lately, she found herself wanting… _more._

Her strong interest in him confused her from the moment they had met but perhaps it was that very confusion that she found so alluring about him.

_He doesn't talk to anyone besides that shrew and if he talks to you, it’s not because of anything genuine. Please be wary of him, Alixka._

No, whatever she was beginning to feel for Marluxia, it wasn’t real. And certainly not whatever he _pretended_ to feel for her. It was all an illusion, it always was and always would be. 

Alixka swallowed hard, closing her eyes tightly as she felt a burning tightness return to her chest. Her eyes were still closed when she heard a shift of movement next to her. Alixka opened her eyes and stared up at the pearly white and pink body of a single Reaper floating next to her. She sighed.

“Let me guess, your master is looking for me?” The creature swayed a little, I guess this meant yes. “What would I have to do for you to NOT report my whereabouts to him?”When the Nobody made no response, Alixka smiled and held out a ten munny piece. “How about it? Lead Marluxia somewhere else and it’s yours.”

The Reaper seized the golden orb from her hand disappeared. But somehow she knew it would not listen to her. Perhaps it was now time to leave, that’s when she heard the approaching footsteps coming closer to her hiding place. Biting her lip, she vanished and was back in her room seconds later, hoping sleep would come quickly tonight.

~~~

Marluxia stared indignantly at the elegant, intrusive creature floating in front of him, blocking his way. It was a few hours later and by now he understood what the Vixens had been tasked to do. While it annoyed him, he could not help but have some regret at the whole situation. 

What had spurned Alixka on to do such a thing? Obviously it had more to do than just proving herself unafraid of him. But now it had been a week and they had not spoken since or even seen each other. 

Larxene had found out she was scheduled for recon in two days and he knew her arm would be healing up by now. If only he could just talk to her. 

“Is she asleep?”

The Lesser Nobody swayed a little, that probably meant yes. Reaching out for the door, he was stung by one of the Vixens silvery tails and glared at it. 

“I mean her no harm!” He said. “Please, let me see her. If she is asleep, I will not bother her. I promise.”

It had orders. It was bound to obey The Maiden of Tempests no matter what. But there was something strangely sincere in those deep blue eyes that the creature could not understand but it did not appear to be malicious. Alixka was indeed asleep, if he kept his word she would never know he was there. With a wave of his hand a Reaper then appeared, stronger than its kind, and its decision was made. 

Softly and silently Marluxia approached her, noticing how she slept on the side of her arm that was not injured. Her dark hair pooled around her pillow rather beautifully, even while sleeping, she was a vision of perfection to his eyes. But as he looked at her he began to hear a very faint sound coming from her lips, upon moving closer to her he saw that her eyelashes were wet and her cheeks streaked from tears. 

Alixka had been crying. 

This was the first time he had ever seen one of his own exhibit such a thing, something that supposedly should not be. How could you cry if you didn’t have the ability to feel hurt beyond the physical kind? Over the last few weeks he had also been experiencing what felt very strongly like emotions, for her. 

When Alixka first arrived Marluxia had only been interested in seducing her. But now as he watched her cry softly in her sleep, he felt something strange pulling at his chest and he wanted to reach out for her. He almost did too, before he noticed the Vixen floating next to him. He sighed, feeling it not worth getting stung again. 

_Oh, Alixka. What is bothering you? Why are you avoiding me?_

These were his thoughts as he conjured a soft purple rose and placed it beside her, the Lesser Nobody strangely not seeming to care.

~~~

_“It’s not my fault! Lucio pushed me!”_

_Her father would not listen, even as her mother tried to comfort her tears as the doctor wrapped her arm into a splint. He glared at the child._

_“You shouldn’t have been playing so roughly!”_

_“He took my doll!”_

_“You’re behavior is unfitting for a young lady! But then again I should not be surprised. You clearly take after…”_

_“Darling, that’s enough!”_

_Her Mother finally spoke up. The man raised an angry eyebrow at his wife. How dare she speak to him like that? Especially since it was wholly her fault that the brat even existed beside his own precious children? She gave the girl a comforting hug, angering him more._

_“Don’t comfort her!” He snapped. “This was completely her fault and now I have to pay the medical bills!”_

_“Maybe if Lucio and Lucia would stop picking on her…”_

_“Enough! They did nothing wrong! She shouldn’t have been bothering them anyway!”_

_More tears streamed down the girls face. She had only wanted to show them the doll one of the servants had given her but they yelled at her and took it away saying she didn’t deserve such a pretty birthday gift. She had chased them outside and her brother had pushed her off the balcony, breaking her arm. But somehow the words of her father pained her far more than anything else._

_Later that evening, when all seemed to be asleep, she crept to her mother's room, hoping for more comfort from her. Occasionally she was kind. But all she heard was the angry voice of her father and her mother’s crying._

_“She becomes more like him every day she lives! It it weren’t enough that she doesn’t look like you at all!”_

_“She’s still my child! You promised you would claim her as…”_

_“She resembles him a thousand times more than either of us combined! She should never have been born and I don’t want her beside my children any longer!”_

_“But Leonard…”_

_“I’m sure your uncle won’t mind. It will be better for all of us.”_

_She had heard enough, and was sure she’d be in trouble again if she was caught out of bed. Back into her room she opened the door of her closet and sat down in it. The darkness enveloping her like a strangely comforting blanket as she wept and asked herself over and over again what was so wrong with her._

_Another dream, another memory._  

~~~

“What is the meaning of this?!”

She thrust the rose towards the Vixen and there was nothing it could do in its defense. It had disobeyed its master and would surely become a Dusk now if not downright destroyed. But Marluxia had meant no harm, right? And the Reaper surely would have overpowered it anyway, right? It made a gesture of submission to Alixka as she continued to glare at it. 

“Well at least you made sure he did not wake or bother me.” She said as she stroked the petals of the rose. “But I still do not want to interact with No. XI if it can be helped. I’ll...let this transgression slide so long as you continue to obey and not let him bother me. Understood?”

The Nobody floated around her, it understood. The Maiden of Tempests smiled a little. It wasn’t really bothering if she was asleep right? And somehow she did not mind as much as she let on anyway as her mind was focused on other matters. That had been the first dream she had experienced that did not take place in the beautiful castle surrounded by fountains and flowers. 

Alixka suspected that she had lived in that place before the castle but something caused her to move to the castle and for that she was glad since all her dreams of it had been tender and  beautiful. Maybe she had been a princess in her former life and was sent away by a cruel father. A charming thought at best.

As the day progressed, Alixka remained for the most part alone in her room and found her thoughts once again focused on Marluxia and on that awkward night. The burning sensation in her chest was very similar to how she felt in her cruel dream the previous night and how she felt in her first days as a Nobody when her dreams first began. 

She could not remember much of her past, but what she could remember, even the good things, made her feel strangely sad. Alixka knew these “feelings were an illusion but at the same time, if she was being truly honest with herself, she had even begun to wonder if Nobodies had at least some ability to feel or could at least develop it in time.

_“Do I frighten you, Alixka?”_

Her dreams made her sad, seeing Marluxia with Larxene made her jealous. Xigbar’s teasing infuriated her and all she wanted was not to be seen as weak. So much so that she often pushed herself more than she probably should have. Her strength was, to her mind, her only true defense against being seen as vulnerable. To the point that she had pulled her arm and was now out of commission for the last week. 

This wasn’t the first time she had hurt herself on a mission and although Xemnas never seemed concerned it still upset her. Alixka was not weak and most of all, she was not afraid of anything. Especially Marluxia! 

The silver swirls of a Vixen appeared before her, the frantic swaying of all nine of its tails told her at once what was wrong and she quickly got up to summon a corridor. But moving too swiftly, she tripped and the corridor vanished, a pain shot up into her arm. 

“I know you’re there. Stop hiding from me!”

There was another knocking at the door and in desperation she moved towards the closet, closing it and motioning for her Vixen to stay in front of it. Closing her eyes, Alixka tried to focus her mind on vanishing to another place in the castle, any place. Even the Addled Impasse seemed safer to her now at this moment. 

But even as she tried to focus she felt herself not really wanting to leave anyway. Something in her wanted to see Marluxia, something in her craved his eyes upon her again. It made no sense, she knew he was only teasing her with his flirtatious ways, Zexion had recently warned her not to be fooled by him. Maybe she really was a fool. Maybe the man in her dream was right. And maybe she was weak after all. 

“There you are.”

Light flooded into the closet as she forced herself to look up into the face of Marluxia. His expression was different from its usually teasing or sinister one and he spoke in a way that sounded almost concerned. As he reached his hand out to her his face twisted as her Vixen stung it with one of its tails and used another to pull him back from her. At once she stepped forward. 

“Your task is complete and you’ve done well.” She said. “But it over. Marluxia has found me. Go.”

The creature obeyed and Alixka watched as it disappeared and left her there with The Graceful Assassin. Warmth began to rise within her and mingled unpleasantly with the sharpness in her chest. 

“So, this is where you’ve been hiding from me?”

“What...makes you think I’m hiding from you?!”

“What else am I supposed to think? It’s been a week. Did you really think I was going to forget…” He did not finish his sentence, only looked at her with a knowing expression. She lowered her head, knowing well what he was going to say. His hand reached out to her again. “Won’t you come out from there, silly Rosebud?” 

“I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL ME THAT!” She turned away from him in anger. “Why are you even here?!” 

“Why have you been avoiding me…?”

“I haven’t!”

“Yes, you have.”

“What makes you think…”

“Then why are you so quick to deny it?”

“UGH!!!”

Her back was still facing him and a fist formed in her good arm. 

“I’m sorry...about the other day. I...know it was forward of me to…”

“Why do you keep apologizing? Or better yet…” He stepped forward, close enough to pull her into his arms but deliberately not touching her. “Why did you do it in the first place?”

The sharp burning sensation was now close to overwhelming her. But she still refused to face him, fearing that her face would betray her. 

“It was stupid of me, that’s why I say sorry!” She said. “I know it was wrong. After all you and Larxene…”

“Larxene? Is that what this is about, Alixka?” 

She did not respond and there was nothing but silence between them for many long moments. Finally she spoke again. 

“I know I shouldn’t have. And I didn’t know if…” Her words became a jumbled mess as she tried to comprehend the best answer to reply to him. “I mean...I know you didn’t want...”

“Oh Alixka.” Marluxia laughed. “What would make you think that? I was surprised by your boldness but otherwise…” He leaned into her face, studying her expression. “Would you like to kiss me again?”

The image of him and The Savage Nymph together with their backs turned to her flashed in her mind and at once she felt that strong and strange burning inside of her. He was teasing her again, and not in a way that she could accept.

“SHUT UP!”

Her body jerked around as she summoned her weapon. Completely forgetting that her strong arm was still healing as she cried out in momentary pain, dropping it and letting it vanish. Pain seared through her arm and she bit her lip to stop the tears that were beginning to form. And it wasn’t just her arm that was causing them. 

Marluxia stared at her thoughtfully. Alixka’s title was not a poetic farce in the slightest and it showed. Her temper had always been bad though not as awful as Larxene but she was also always so self assured.  Before him Now was a girl who was very different from the Alixka he knew. It was adorable in a way, how flustered she was becoming, but there was something else being revealed to him as well that was much...deeper. 

“Why are you like this?” He asked softly, abandoning all the playfulness in his voice. “I honestly don’t understand. And why were you crying last night?”

“So you WERE spying!” Her forgiveness towards the Vixen conveniently disappearing. “I don’t appreciate…”

“Is it so wrong that maybe I’ve been worried about you?” 

“STOP MOCKING ME!” She stamped her foot, practically screaming at him. “AND STOP LYING TO ME! Nobodies can’t feel things like worry so why would you…”

His arms descended upon her without another word, pressing her into a deep embrace. Her bad arm pressed against him causing her to whimper a little. To her surprise he loosened his hold on her and buried his face into her soft dark hair, taking in her scent and finding that she was strangely not fighting him. That also surprised her and for the briefest moments, she forgot her anger and everything else besides just how much she had secretly yearned for his touch. 

And how fulfilling it was to finally have it. 

“If you truly cannot feel.” He sighed. “Then tell me, what was bringing tears to your eyes?” 

Alixka paused in his hold as she thought about his question. It was her dream that had upset her. Right? And it was not being able to use her strong arm. Right? That’s what she told herself. 

But now she was beginning to not be so sure. Honestly many things had been upsetting her and still were. She tried to pull away from him. 

“Do I frighten you?”

“Shut up!”

Marluxia only sighed as he cupped her face and brought her violet gaze to his. He could see that she was blinking away more tears. Tilting his head, he gave her a small smile.

“Do I frighten you?”

“No!” She snapped, quickly turning her eyes away from him. “Why do you mock me by asking that!”

“Then look at me.” 

The brunette forced herself to meet his glance, and saw in his eyes an intensity that made her blush again. 

“Your lips say that you aren’t afraid.” he said. “Yet your eyes say different.”

“UGH!!”

This was the third time Marluxia had asked her this and truthfully she was unsure at this point.  Alixka fully separated from him, moving back further into her hiding place. She raised her arms and began to cross them. 

“I fear nothing.” She said. “Now please go away.”

She had no intention to attack Marluxia but she hoped that just her stance alone would be enough to make him leave. No such luck. He only moved closer to her, now fully in the closet with her, his body softly brushing against hers. 

“Of course.” He said as he pulled her arms out of their attack stance, a slightly teasing grin returning. “The Maiden of Tempests fears nothing. I believe that. But…” Tightening his grip on her wrists. “What I want to know is what you fear, Alixka.” 

“WHY WOULD I TELL YOU…”

Lips crashed against her own in a dizzyingly passionate kiss. This was the passion that their first kiss lacked, this was the passion she had initially desired from his response. 

Alixka felt her back press against the wall as he pinned her and continued his kiss, letting his tongue bush softly against her lips and nibbling her lower one gently. She moaned softly into the kiss, gasping a little when she felt his tongue pressed against her lips before making contact with her own. The sensation was almost overwhelming but she forced herself to pull away and regard him with what she hoped appeared to be anger. 

“Marluxia…”

“What do you fear? If not me, then what?”

She glared at him, but the longer she held her face like that the more she felt it melt into something else. Her arm was sore, her body was trembling, and her mind was confused. Alixka felt herself in a position of vulnerability that she knew she should hate. But she didn’t. Slowly, she turned her back to him as a few tears managed to roll down her cheeks. 

_“Rejection…”_

The second the word left her lips, she felt all of her defenses leave her as well and regretted it. Her voice was low, so low that Marluxia had to strain to hear. He almost did not fully hear until a soft sniff came from her and he knew for certain that he had understood. 

Alixka covered herself with her arms, as if to protect herself from the confusing feelings burning through her like wildfire. A gentle warmth pressed against her back as he pulled her to his chest. She sighed but made no sign of discomfort. 

“Silly Rosebud.” He whispered to her, chuckling as he felt her body tense up. One hand gently pulled her hair away and revealed her bare neck, another hand laced it’s fingers with her own. “Does this seem like rejection to you?”

Soft lips brushed against her nape, he could tell that her whimpers were those of excitement which encouraged him to continue. Her body loosened but she was still facing the wall, unable to bring herself to look at him even as she felt herself melt under his attention, lips kissing her neck and hands running up and down her arms before completely closing around her. 

“Is this the act of someone who wishes to reject you?”

Marluxia’s hands found the zipper of her coat and began to slowly pull it down. Her head fell back against his shoulder when she felt one hand gently knead at one of her breasts. Kisses continuing to be showered all along her neck. The sharpness in her chest began to fade and the warmth increased, coursing throughout her whole body. 

“Damnit...Marluxia…”

“Do you want me to stop this?”

“No! Please don’t stop!” 

Alixka surprised herself by moving one of his hands down between her legs. He chuckled devilishly as he obliged her, rubbing her playfully through the fabric of her pants. 

“Stop denying yourself, Alixka. If rejection is what you fear…” He smirked as he turned her body around to face him. “Don’t. I don’t wish to reject you. So don’t reject me.” 

When she kissed him this time, his response was what she had hoped it would be all along. All this time she had convinced herself that his flirtatious ways were merely a farce and that she was a fool to find herself drawn to him. But ever since their kiss, even after Zexion’s warnings, she had found it more and more difficult to convince herself to abandon her thoughts of him and when she saw him with Larxene it only made her desire for him burn stronger.

Yes. He did frighten her, because of how badly she wanted him. But now she understood that he wanted her as well. There could be no doubt about it now and the realization both overwhelmed and thrilled her. Fuck her confusion. Fuck the idea of not being able to feel. This was real to her and at that moment there was nothing else she wanted more in the whole world.

“I…I….” she lowered her head again, mumbling out something that Marluxia knew he had correctly heard, yet he wanted to be sure before moving further. And of course, he couldn’t help but want to tease her. 

“Hmmm?” his hands cupped her reddening cheeks, returning her gaze back to his. “What did you say, Alixka?”

“I...I....” she saw the wicked expression in his eyes and felt her face become even hotter. “You heard me! You know!” 

“Oh? Do I?”

Alixka pressed her body to his and reached out to touch his hair, hoping he’d take the hint. 

_Oh, your hair is so soft, just as I imagined. Please don’t tease me any longer, beautiful idiot!_

 But Marluxia gently pushed her back, taking her hands in his but regarding her with a devilish expression.  

“Tell me, Alixka.” he chuckled. “What did you say? No need to be shy now.”

A sharp noise escaped her lips that was part frustration and part arousal. Her fists clenched and she felt her tears returning. Uncertainties be damned.

“I WANT YOU, MARLUXIA! I want you! There, I admit it! Did you hear me THAT time?!”

He answered her with another chuckle before bringing her lips back to his own. There was a certain level of sadistic pleasure to be taken from this, how adorable she was when flustered. But he knew when to stop teasing her. 

Perhaps now it was time for teasing of a more _intimate_ nature. 

“I did hear you.” Marluxia broke from their kiss and began to gently pull her from her hiding place. “Now, allow me show you what rejection _doesn’t_ look like.”

Alixka blushed as she allowed him to pull her out of the closet and into his lap. For a moment they just stared at each other before he smiled and placed both of his hands on either side of her face, taking his thumbs to wipe away the remainder of her tears. Arms wrapped around her waist as he began to kiss her tenderly, pressing their bodies closer to each other. She moaned softly and let her fingers run through his lovely pink hair. Their kiss became deeper and Marluxia pulled her coat away from her shoulders, hands roving over her exposed skin intently. 

“I don’t want to reject you, Alixka.” He murmured as his fingers ran softly along the curve of her breasts. “I want to possess you.” 

A sharp gasp escaped her at the feeling of her nipples being teased. Lips made contact with her neck and one of his hands found its way between her legs again. Her hips rolled against his hand eagerly. 

“Possess me, Marluxia.” She whispered.  “Please…”

His hands left her body momentarily and she made a slightly pouting face at him. 

“I will possess you.” Marluxia placed another deep kiss was placed on her collarbone and back up her neck; to her chin, her cheek, whispering to her all the while. “Possess you, pleasure you, anything you want me to do,” and then finally meeting their lips together once more. “except reject you.”

~~~

He held her tighter, pressing her face against his chest as they disappeared in a black and purple cloud, reappearing the next moment in a room Alixka had never seen before. She looked around her and in the next moment she was being gently pushed back against a bed that was not her own and Marluxia gazing down at her with a curious look of concern in his eyes.

“This is...your room.” she murmured, causing him to laugh softly at the statement.

“It is.” he replied. She blushed, a sudden chill ran down her spine as she fully began to understand what was about to happen. As if he sensed what was going on in her head, Marluxia placed a gentle kiss along her cheek. “Tell me at once if I do anything that makes you uncomfortable. Understood?”

There was something very sweet and comforting in his words that made Alixka blush again. She nodded slowly, looking up at him with a small smile. The moment of tenderness was brief. His kissed her now with more fervor, licking and sucking at her neck with a passion that was making the brunette ache more and more between her legs. Marluxia held her tighter, unknowingly pressing against her arm and making her whimper in pain. Immediately he pulled back from her. 

“Is your arm still healing?” he asked.

“It is.” she replied. “But...it doesn’t hurt as much as it did before.” To prove this, she reached out for his face with her weak arm, biting back another swell of pain when he took it. “I’m fine, really.”

“Vexen said you would be fine within a week.” he stroked her arm gently before kissing it. “It’s been a week, let me help with the final process.”

Alixka did not understand what he meant until Marluxia brought her arm back to his lips, whispering inaudible words that caused the aching in her arm to go away. Slowly she pulled her arm away from his grasp, waving it a little as if she could not believe what he had just done. She met his eyes with a sweet smile.

“Thank you.” she said. “It...feels a lot better now. Just as well since I have recon tomorrow.”

“Good.” he returned her smile “Now, where were we?”

Instead of waiting for her answer, Marluxia took back fully into his arms and kissed her with a deep and determined passion, feeling as her body melted into his. He pulled back from her momentarily to remove his coat and gloves. Alixka gazed up at him; blushing deeply as her eyes took in his half naked form. Shyly, she reached out for him and he obliged her, watching as her hands moved slowly up and down his body before hugging her body close. The feeling of skin upon skin was very surprising to Alixka, their normal clothing was always so constricting and she could not remember once since becoming a Nobody that she had actually experienced another humans touch. This made the sense of intimacy stronger between her and her lover as he brought her hands to his lips.

“I can’t tell you how long I’ve waited for this moment.” he whispered to her between kisses. “You’re so beautiful, more beautiful than any flower. How could I ever think to reject you? I want to possess you entirely.”

A soft gasp slipped from her as Marluxia captured her lips with his, kissing her as his hands ran up and down her sides. He positioned himself slightly so he was laying at her side and had full access to her body. They locked glances as his fingertips began to softly caress her. Soft, slow fingers ran down her stomach, tickling her a little and making her shake. 

“Do you like that?”  He whispered to her. She blushed and turned her face away from his. The pink haired nobody smirked as his fingers began to dance playfully across her skin, causing Alixka to arch up into his touch with a soft moan. 

“So coy...” he chuckled, tickling her again until he finally heard a soft sound escape her lips, too soft for his liking. “Why are you biting your lip? Don’t want me to hear you? Too bad.” 

In order to make this point, he brought his hands to her breasts, letting his thumbs delicately trace her nipples. The faintness of his touch sent a tingling heat throughout her body and a slightly louder whimper, her body arching up into his touch. 

“Look at me.” Her violet gaze met his as he continued to toy with her, blue eyes flashing her an evil expression when his fingers circled her nipples slowly. “That’s it, I want to see your eyes. And hear your voice…”

His fingers moved faster on her hardened nubs, pinching them a little and enticing his name to spill from her lips in a sharp gasp. Satisfied at her response, Marluxia decided to let his hands move lower down her body before pulling at the waistband of her pants. His lips made soft contact with her skin, kissing her stomach as he pulled her pants down pass her hips. Alixka blushed as she felt the remaining of her clothes disappear from her body along with his own, and with them the sense of vulnerability under him rising. But strangely enough, it was beginning to turn her on.

Marluxia smiled down at her, holding her naked body close to his and running a soft and slow hand down her bare legs. His body was warm against her own and she eagerly pressed her body harder into his embrace to fully take in the warm tingle of their naked skin rubbing sensually against each other. Their lips met briefly, his fingers delicately tracing her lower lip when he broke the kiss to whisper to her. 

“I wonder, Alixka. Do you taste as wonderfully as you look?” 

Alixka’s eyes widened a little as she felt his teeth sink into her neck before running his tongue along it playfully. His tongue continued to move sensuously down her body, swirling around her nipples tantilizingly before sliding down and stopping at her legs. He glanced up at her with a mischievous look as he gently parted her legs before continuing this oral seduction along the curve where her thighs met each other, gently parting them. 

“How you intoxicate me.” he whispered to her, pausing his teasing to run his hand down her thigh. “No no, don’t look away from me. It’s so beautiful when you blush.”

“Stop teasing me!” she huffed, making him chuckle again. 

“Silly Rosebud, I haven’t even _begun_ to tease you. But maybe…”

He did not complete his sentence and instead continued to trail kisses along her inner thighs, one hand crept slowly up her leg and stopped right at her throbbing core. Alixka closed her eyes and gasped out as she felt a finger finally press against her clit and began circling it slowly. She arched into the touch eagerly as she felt his finger move a little faster before resuming at an agonizingly slow pace. Then faster, slower, and faster again, his mouth still teasing her inner thighs and making pleasure built up more and more inside of her. When she finally thought it was going to become too much, Marluxia let his tongue brush against her slick entrance, making her legs shake. 

His tongue worked slowly between Alixka’s legs as she softly writhed and moaned under this sexy assault. Occasionally his hand ran up and down her body, toying with her breasts and making her moan louder. A sharp cry broke from her lips when she suddenly felt his tongue brush against her clit, his hands grabbed onto her hips as they jerked violently under him. Marluxia resumed his oral teasing and felt explicitly when the muscles in her legs began to twitch. She was coming close, a few more licks would be all it took to take her over the edge. He pressed his tongue against her clit a little harder before removing it completely, earning him another low groan.

“Marluxia…” 

“Yes, Alixka?” An inaudible whimper prompted him to bring his lips back to her core and kiss her again. He held her hips in place as he teased her with soft little kisses, her moans sounding like the most enchanting music to his ears. 

“I...ah...please…Marluxia!” 

A warm tongue surprised her by running slowly down her clit, pressing inside of her and forcing her hips to press against his mouth. He pulled away and sat up to hold onto her waist, smirking down at her flushed cheeks and lust clouded eyes. 

“Oh yes, I love the way you say my name.” he parted her legs again and positioned himself between them, pressing his lips against her neck. “I wanna hear it again. Say my name.” Marluxia’s name passed her lips again in a whisper and he kissed her, his lips smirking against her skin. “Louder.”

His hips pressed slowly against her own, a small cry escaped her lips as she felt an explicit, naked hardness grind against her throbbing clit. Alixka said his name again and another slow grind of his hips made her writhe violently under him. 

“Hmmmm? Am I driving you crazy like this?” Marluxia chuckled evilly, grabbing her chin to keep her from turning away and held her aroused gaze as his hips pressed against hers once more.

“Marluxia...”

“Do you want me to drown your body in ecstasy?”

“Please...I…”

“Do you want me to make you scream?”

“I...ahhh…”

She felt his cock press against her again. Her body was shaking and swelling with lust. With the sadistic grinding of his hips and his erotic whispers to her, it was almost too much.

“You’re body is quivering under me.” he said, swirling his tongue against  the shell of her ear. “I know what you want me to do, but I won’t, not until you beg for it.” Marluxia rested his forehead against hers, bringing their faces as close as he could as his body continued to torment her mercilessly. “Not until I hear how much you want it.” 

He pulled away slightly to look into her eyes. Alixka took in his beautiful, sadistic gaze and one last intoxicating grind of his hips finally took her over the edge. 

“MARLUXIA!” she cried out desperately, blushing furiously at how eager she was behaving. But that was the effect his body had on her. “Stop fucking teasing me and...ahhhhh…”

Alixka’s words were drowned in a loud moan as he finally thrust into her; slowly, gently, gazing intently into her face for any sign of pain or discomfort. When he found none, Marluxia leaned into her and kissed her neck softly, wrapping her legs around his waist and began thrusting into her with more determination.

“Don’t become coy on me now.” He whispered as he lavished her. “Let me hear you.”

She hadn’t realized that her eyes had been closed, when she opened them she found herself looking into a very arousing image of her lover ravishing her without restraint. His blue eyes dark with lust and his soft lips sensuously parted. With every thrust she felt her pleasure reaching closer to the peak that she had been working toward for so long. Her body was beginning to tense up and his movements became rougher as he moved deeper inside of her, hitting a particular sensitive spot that made her eyes flutter.

A few more thrusts and she arched her body completely into his as her orgasm took her over completely. Alixka heard her cries as if she was hearing them from somewhere else. The pleasure was almost unreal to her. He was not to far behind and held her body tightly as he met his climax, moaning her name into her ear in a way that made her shudder.

Alixka closed her eyes again as their bodies disconnected and her mind began to return to reality. She heard her name whispered and she opened her eyes slowly, gazing at Marluxia with that sense of apprehension strangely beginning to rise within her. He sensed it at once and would not have it; he pulled her back into his arms, gently stroking her back and kissing her with a tenderness that sharply contrasted to the erotic intensity he had just shown her. 

“There is no one in this castle that I’d rather be with than you." he whispered against her lips. "And the last thing I ever wish to do is reject you. I hope you now understand this, and will never again doubt my how I feel about you, Alixka.” 

Feelings? But weren’t they not supposed to be able to feel? Fuck it. It didn’t matter right now. She sighed and nuzzled into his neck. 

“I....I believe your feelings.” The brunette sighed. “And I have come to accept my own.” 

Even if she still did not understand them. It didn’t matter now. She refused to let her confusion spoil this moment, a moment she now admitted that she had secretly wanted for many months now. Her eyes closed and she felt his hands run through her hair.

“You’re so beautiful, Rosebud.” 

Alixka’s eyes quirked up at Marluxia. He smirked slightly.

“Oh, I keep forgetting. You don’t like that nickname. Is there another nickname that you would prefer?”

She blushed again and waited a few moments before she allowed herself to lift her head forward to press her lips back to his, smiling into her kiss.

“No, Rosebud is fine.”

~~~

_“What are you doing in there, Miss?”_

_She had been found out. Biting back embarrassment she turned her body around so her back was facing him. He sighed._

_“Braig did not mean to offend you.” He said. “He can be boorish, but he has your best interests at heart. As do we all. Won’t you come out of there?”_

_She did not respond. Her hands pressed timidly against her budding womanliness, the object of her most recent frustrations as well as the guards most recent teasing. They made her clothes fit weird now, she was already ugly, why did this have to happen?_

_“I understand. When you’re ready to talk, I’ll be here.”_

_Footsteps could be heard from her hiding place. She couldn’t determine if he was still in her room or not. But something about the way he spoke made her feel strangely at ease. Slowly she rose to her feet and opened the closet door, only to see him sitting on her bed, watching her thoughtfully._

_“I don’t like them.” She said. “Why did this happen?”_

_“Why does anything else happen, child?” He asked. “It’s just the way of things. It’s the natural process of growing up.”_

_When she sat beside him, he surprised her, and himself, by putting his arm around her as he tried to give her comfort. This was such an awkward situation and not one for the likes of him. If only her mother could be here._

_“Soon you will be a lady.” He went on. “And a fine one at that.” She scoffed at this._

_“My father used to say I’m not fit to be a lady. Because I ran a lot and played rough and…” she turned away from him in case more tears came. “And now...this!”_

_He also turned away from her. As the months passed it became clear to him that her presence in the castle was solely at her “father's” request. Apparently he could no longer be bothered with a child who was a daily reminder of all he would never be in the eyes of his wife. He sighed._

_“Adults can be wrong sometimes as well, child.”_

_“Do you think my father was wrong?”_

_They stared at each other for a few moments. She always found it interesting how they had such similarly colored eyes. For the longest time she had always thought it was an abnormally in her alone. He smiled and patted her head gently._

_“I do, Miss. You may not yet be thirteen but I already see every inch the perfect lady in you. And hopefully, one day, he will see it too.”_

_It wasn’t much. But she found some comfort in his words. Such an odd man Dilan was. At one moment he would be lecturing her and in another moment he would be kind and caring like this. Footsteps announced the presence of someone else in her doorway. It was Aeleus and he was holding Braig by the ear with a sarcastic grin._

_“I believe someone owes you an apology, Miss.” He said. Braig made a grimacing face before addressing the girl._

_“I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, Princess. I was just making a little fun.”_

_“Too much fun, in my opinion!” Dilan said brusquely._

_She watched the faces of the three men in her room. Honestly she had already decided to forgive Braig for his teasing, but not before doing something she had thought about for a long time now. She knew it would earn her another lecture from Dilan but frankly she could care less._

_From her nightstand she took one of her books and stuffed it in her pillow before throwing it at Braig, hitting him square in the face. Dilan and Aeleus laughed as they had not laughed in a long time at this, Braig laughed too though not as hard._

_“Yeah, I think I deserved that.” He said, rubbing his forehead._

_“Damn right you did!” Dilan replied._

_Another dream, another memory._

_~~~_


	12. Kaleidoscope (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alixka goes on a mission with Larxene and Demyx...I swear that is all that happens...
> 
> Okay so in all seriousness, this chapter is like 60% teasing, 20% fluff and the remaining 20% actual development. Literally only two things of importance happen in this chapter, three if you squint. Enjoy more of my Marluxia thirst!
> 
> The name of this chapter comes from a song on the playlist for this work. It's in Japanese but the lyrics, when translated, perfectly suit Alixka's relationship with Marluxia at this point in the plot.

~~~

Alixka felt herself enveloped in a gentle warmth as she woke from her rather peaceful sleep. Probably the most peaceful sleep she had experienced since arriving in The World that Never Was. Her eyes were still closed.

It had been a while since her memories had come to her in such a particularly sweet way. As she replayed the memory in her mind, she felt a hand press against her back. Finally she opened her eyes and saw the face of Marluxia sleeping next to her.

A heat rose to her face as she quickly recalled the events of the previous night; him coming to her room, confronting and kissing her, before bringing her back to his room and the intoxicating pleasure he had given her. But she didn’t remember much of what happened afterward, had she actually spent the night with him?

She shifted a little and felt as he held her closer in his sleep. He was warm and Alixka could not help but stare at his sleeping face. Even while sleeping, Marluxia was beautiful and she found herself blushing again. Shyly, she reached out and ran one of her fingers through his pink hair, it was so silky soft and reminded her of touching a rosepetal. That's when she was surprised by a soft kiss placed on her forehead, followed by one on her cheek and finally one on her lips. Marluxia pulled back from her a little and smiled, fully awake.

“Good morning, Beautiful.”

Alixka returned his smile. “What morning there is in The World that Never Was”

“I suppose.” He chuckled as he ran his fingers through her hair. “Did you sleep well?”

“I did. I had...an interesting dream.”

“Oh?” Sitting up and resting his head on one hand as he looked at her interestingly. “Care to share?”

“Well…” Alixka stared up at the ceiling as she recalled her dream. “It’s always more or less the same. I see a castle. Beautiful and magnificent surrounded by shimmering fountains and flowers in every color.”

Marluxia smiled as he listened, “I like the sound of this dream.”

“Yes.” She continued. “I feel like I’ve been to this castle before. Like maybe I lived there a long time ago. And in the dream there are five men who live there too. One in particular…” She paused for a moment and then sighed. “Bu… I can never make out any of their faces. Only that I feel like I know them.”

“Perhaps you did. Perhaps your dreams are memories, whispering back to you.” He glanced at her thoughtfully before continuing. “Alixka, are you certain you’ve never been to Hollow Bastion before our mission there?”

Alixka closed her eyes and hesitated. “I don’t know. When we were there. It certainly did feel familiar. But everything there was so different from my dreams. I don’t know how...”

“When the memories return to you more, you will understand.” A somewhat sad expression came into his face. “You are fortunate. I hardly remember anything from my past life.”

She glanced up at him. “Really? You don’t have any memories of your past, Marluxia?”

He sighed. “Not as vivid as what you experience. Occasionally I hear a voice...calling out to me. Like...they’re looking for me. I don’t know whose voice it is but it always sounds so sad so...afraid…”

Alixka saw in Marluxia’s face an expression she never thought she would see in him, if she had a heart she was certain it would be breaking a little for him. Not understanding her actions, she placed her arms around his neck and rested her head on his chest.

“Whoever is calling for you, must be someone very important. In that case, you will find them. I know you will.”

His returned her embrace and buried his face in her dark hair. “You are very sweet, Alixka.” He pulled back from her with a teasing smirk. “I like this Alixka better than the other one.”

“Huh?! Excuse me?!” She tried to pull away but he laughed and held her tightly. “I’m trying to be all encouraging and shit and you still tease me?! UGH!!!”

But she could not help but laugh with him and in another moment they were cuddling. Marluxia moved a little to be on top of her, smiling as he hugged her body close. 

“Mmmmm, I’ve wanted you for so long, Alixka. You have no idea.” He ran a thumb across her lower lip as it curved into a soft smile. “And I am thankful that you are no longer denying your want for me.”

Her eyes rose to meet his, her cheeks flushed as she took in his beautiful face looming over her. His rose pink hair and radiant blue eyes always seemed to give off the impression of a lovely exotic flower. If Alixka was truly being honest with herself, from the moment she first set her eyes upon him, Marluxia had her completely under his spell. They both knew it but even so, even after what they had shared the previous night, something in the brunette’s mind would not go away. Something she had to know, if she were to continue this in the way she wished. 

“Larxene...you and Larxene…” 

Marluxia could hear the hesitance in her voice and pulled away slightly to look at her thoughtfully. “You were avoiding me,” he began. “Because you saw us together? Am I correct?”

Her face went hot and she turned away from his gaze. “That night after I told you to leave my room. You two were laughing about something. And I…”

Before Alixka could finish her sentence, Marluxia held her tighter, pressing their bodies together with a passion that both surprised and thrilled her

“Oh Alixka.” he murmured. “Is that why you were so…that explains a lot” He gently loosened his hold on her to look into her eyes. “We were laughing about something, but I assure you it was not anything about you.What had you thought? No. I don’t want to know.” 

“I don’t understand?”

There was a long silence between them before Marluxia cupped her cheek and brought her gaze back to his. His own eyes momentarily slid shut as he thought about how to best explain things to Alixka. Especially since he had begun to develop a genuine affection for her. 

“Larxene and I, we’ve been close to each other ever since we were brought here around the same time.” he said. “We are fond of each other, in a way unlike the others here. Even compared to the other newer members, we’ve always just had a stronger connection.”

She listened to him, waiting for him to be finished before making any conclusions. 

“Ours is a lonely existence, lonely and mundane. I suppose it was only natural that we’ve...turned to each other occasionally for solace…”

A sharp feeling of jealousy returned to her but she continued to listen. 

“...beyond that however, I can’t help but feel like our connection goes back further than the Organization. Besides the voice that comes to me, our relationship is really the only clue I have to my past. Larxene feels it too, and that is the primary reason why we are so close. However…” turning back to Alixka. “I understand if...that makes you uncomfortable. If it does…”

She quickly silenced him with her fingers softly pressing against his lips. Beyond her own dreams, she had nothing to piece together her past and didn’t wish to deprive Marluxia of anything he might have to help connect to his. And now that she understood his affection for her was genuine, Larxene was no real threat to her.

“Far be it from me to split you two apart.” she said. “I believe that connection is genuine and it doesn’t bother me. I only ask one thing of you, Marluxia.”

“What is that?”

“That...you’re always honest with me about your thoughts and intentions. Whatever your connection to Larxene, we have our own, am I right?”

“We do, Alixka.” a new smile came to his face and he pressed his lips to her’s. “You’re mine now. And I’m yours.”

A wave of warmth and relief washed over Alixka as she allowed him to take her back into his embrace. They continued their cuddles, nuzzling into each other and taking in the sweet, sensual warmth of each other's bodies for as long as they could. So much so that it was extremely disagreeable when Alixka recalled that she did have a mission assigned that day. Groaning, she forced herself away from him and left the bed. Marluxia followed, still holding her close.

“Going somewhere, Rosebud?”

“My arm is better, I couldn’t expect to be let off the hook for too long.” She sighed. “Remember? I have a recon mission today.”

“It’s still early. Do you have to leave so soon?”

He held her tighter as he began to kiss her neck, making her groan again.

“I don’t want to.”

“Then don’t. Stay with me a little longer.” He ran his hands down her body in a way that made the heat rise inside of her once more. “I can make it worth your while.”

He caught her breasts and began to slowly knead them, his thumbs flicking her nipples just as slowly and bringing them to hardness. A kiss was placed on the shell of her ear while Alixka struggled with herself internally. Fucking Saix. Why did he have to request her presence in The Gray Area so damn early? Fucking Marluxia. Why did he have to tempt her like this?

“Marluxia…”

He wasn’t going to wait for her to deny him and instead pushed her gently back on the bed, slamming their lips together in a passionate kiss. She pulled away with a breathless giggle.

“Stay with me, Alixka.” he brought his hand back to one of her breasts and gave her a knowing smirk. “Stay with me.”

She felt his hips grinding into hers and her resolve to leave was thoroughly shot. “Fine! Fine, I’ll stay a little longer!” 

Marluxia laughed softly as he brought her legs around his body. Kisses were littered all down her body as she moaned and writhed softly under him; to her breasts, down her stomach and navel, along her thighs, before his lips made contact with her folds and she cried out as he kissed and licked between her legs with heady intention. 

“Ohhhh, oh yes…” she whispered.

“Mmmm, isn’t this so much nicer than going on some mission?”

“Yes, yes it is…I...haaaaaaa…”

Alixka’s voice trailed off as his lavishments became more intense and the pleasure began to build inside of her. Soon she was moving her hips to the rhythm of his tongue, moaning louder as she felt her climax come closer. 

“Oh...oh please, Marluxia. Don’t stop!” A low chuckle assured her that he wouldn’t as his tongue pressed against her clit, swirling around and flicking up and down. His hot breath ghosting over her. “Ahhh, oh...oh fuck!”

He pressed his face against her as his tongue moved at a faster pace, bringing forth her orgasm. A sharp cry escaped her lips and she arched her hips eagerly against his mouth in order to milk her pleasure to the last bit. Even as climax washed over her, Marluxia continued to lick and tease her before finally pulling away to capture her lips with his. Alixka could taste herself on his tongue and it was surprisingly quite satisfying. She sighed into the kiss, feeling herself coming down from her high and reality returning.

“Okay…” she murmured when their kiss broke. “Now I _really_ have to leave.”

“Hmmph, but do you really _want_ to leave?” Clearly Marluxia was not done with her and truthfully, Alixka didn’t want him to be and hardly put up a protest when he would not free her from his embrace. He chuckled at her half-hearted attempt to pull away. “I think we both know the answer to that.”

She whimpered as her lover started grinding into her, reawakening his erection, and became louder when she felt him push into her with relative ease. It didn't surprise her at all how quickly she found herself burning with lust again. And how little she cared at this point about arriving to The Grey Area on time. 

Fuck Saix.

~~~

Things worked out in an odd ways in The Castle That Never Was, especially time. Because after that, two months then past before Alixka was able to spend any reasonable amount of time with Marluxia. Now that she was fully recovered, Saix wasted to time assigning her to a string of missions that were often solo and often had her returning to the castle late at night. She often found herself too tired to seek him out and went straight to sleep only to wake up early the next morning.

But she knew at once that their tryst would not be their last. From time to time, she thought she heard the sound of sweet whispers in her dreams and when she woke, she would find a beautiful pink rose laying next to her free of thorns. And whenever they were both in The Grey Area together or sitting in The Round Room, Alixka could feel Marluxia’s eyes on her, tracing up and down her figure as though he could see through her thick dark clothing. Everytime she caught his eyes on her, an involuntary tingle went through her legs. There were few places in the castle that were truly private and she often worried what would happen if any of the other members caught on.

Her dreams were also becoming more vivid and she finally knew what the place in her dream was called. It relieved her to know that it was not Hollow Bastion, but Radiant Garden. Now that she knew that much, she was now determined to find out more. On a day when she did not have to leave out early, Alixka went through the archives in the library. She knew there was information there on every world the members had all visited on recon missions and she wondered if she may find info on that world as well.

For nearly two hours she went through book after book on every world imaginable except the one she was looking for. She was about to give up before she came across one book that was honestly not a very large one inscribed on the front Miscellaneous Findings from The Capital of Light.

Alixka flipped through the book, filled mostly with text that she could not understand along with diagrams of the human body and heart and blueprints of what appeared to be a castle and a vast mine. She was beginning to think that she had hit another dead end before something slipped out from the end of the book. Alixka picked it up and saw that it was a small painting of a woman holding a child.

Running her fingers across the picture, she felt as though she knew who the people in the picture were. Looking closer at the picture, she noticed that the child had eyes similar in color to her own, but before she could give further thought to it she heard the door to the library open. Quickly she put the book back and vanished in a mist of black and purple, appearing at the greenhouse and resolving to return to the library to take the book at another time.

~~~

A part of her had hoped that Marluxia would have been there but she was instead alone. Even so, she did enjoy being there and in the past two months, she had no opportunity to come at all. She walked around for a few minutes, noticing many new plants and flowers in bloom. One set of flowers stood out to Alixka in particular. Though small, they were very pretty, soft white with tints of pink, purple and even some in yellow. Alixka reached out to touch one with her gloved finger and then it hit her.

_These flowers, they’re the ones from my dream! But...what were they called?_

As she tried to remember, she heard the sound of footsteps behind her. She drew her attention away from the peculiar flowers and smiled at Marluxia.

“How did I know that I’d find you here?” He asked, returning her smile.

“I think...this is the place I like best in this castle. Next to the library.” She replied.

“Something we share in common, Rosebud.”

Alixka blushed, he had resumed using his pet nickname for her remarkably quickly after she had given him permission to start using it again. Not that she minded, much.

“It seems like forever since I’ve seen you.”

“I’m aware and wish I was here bearing more agreeable tidings. But alas that is not the case.” He replied. “Saix has called for you presence in The Grey Area. Demyx and Larxene as well.”

Seriously?! That certainly meant that she would be paired with them for a mission. The blue haired prick really did twisted sense of humor. She sighed.

“Very well then. Hopefully this will be quick.”

As she extended her arm to form a corridor she suddenly felt as Marluxia grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to him. Despite two months of separation Alixka had not forgotten how amazing it felt to have their bodies pressed together like they were at that moment. She tried to break free from his hold but he would not let go so easily and she found herself not really minding anyway. 

_Oh, of all the times to be sent on some stupid fucking mission?_

“Please let me go, Marluxia. I can’t...not now anyway…”

“I know, but it’s been so long, Rosebud.” He buried his face into her neck, placing many kisses there as he ran his hands sensuously down her back. “I’ve completed my work for today. How about when you get back I come to your room and show you just how much I’ve longed for you?”

A certain heat began to develop between Alixka’s legs even as she smiled and nodded her agreement. Now she had something to look forward to and it would help her get through her work quickly. She forced herself to pull away from Marluxia but found his hold on her still firm and unyielding. When she tried to move again she gasped as she felt the zipper of her coat being pulled down, the pink haired man then pushed her against the nearby wall, pinning her with one hand and the other exploring the parts of her that were now exposed to him.

“Marluxia! What are you...!” He did not respond with words, instead sliding his hand down her neck. A low, evil chuckle vibrated in her ear and made her shudder.

“You were going to ask what am I doing? Just giving you a taste of what to expect tonight…”

Her eyes widened and in another second Alixka could feel his hands on her hips pressing them seductively against his own. Even through their clothes could feel a certain hardness grind against her burning core and she bit her lip to suppress the moan that threatened to escape her lips. It felt amazing but she knew this seduction could only go so far and it made her whimper with frustration as she felt that hardness press between her legs again.

“No...p..please…Marluxia…” She watched him as he knelt beside her and began to kiss her bare torso, swirling his tongue around her navel and making her hips buck against him. Marluxia gazed up at her with a playful smirk before closing his fingers around the waistband of her pants.

“No need to be coy…” He whispered teasingly, pulling them down past her hips and exposing her to the drafty air of the room. “Don’t you want me?”

“You know I do, bu..a..ah!”

Warm breath ghosted over core, followed by the gentle pressing of his lips. Alixka could no longer conceal her moans and eagerly pressed his head closer to her but he caught her hand and looked up at her again with a mischievous blue delight that flashed in his eyes.

“Then look at me and tell me that you want me.”

“Marluxia…”

Those damn lips pressed against her once more. This was more than a mere taste. But she knew that he would not give her relief anytime soon and that she would go through her mission with the intense need throbbing inside of her. Thoughts of those devilish blue eyes and smirking lips haunting her until her work was done. The warm caress of his tongue forced a sharp, pleasured cry escaped the lips of the brunette.

“I want you!” She gasped as his lips pressed harder against her, his tongue flicking a little and making her squirm. Even with her eyes shut she could feel him grinning at what just a little teasing from him could do to her.

“Mmmm, I love how eager you are for me…”

He brought himself to full height and pulled her body to his, sliding his hand between them. They locked glances for a brief moment before she felt his fingers toying with her in the most terribly delicious way between her legs. With his other hand Marluxia brought her face to his and kissed her intensely. Alixka moaned into the kiss and pressed her hips harder against his skilled fingers, earning her a low and evil chuckle from the pink haired Nobody. Her body trembled with frustration.

“You want me so badly, don’t you, Rosebud?” He gave her clit one last playful stroke before pulling her pants back in place and taking a few steps back from the trembling brunette, regarding her with that teasing smirk that both enraged her and inflamed her at the same time.

“I look forward to seeing how eager you are later on tonight.”

He gently pushed her away. That intense heat inside of her began to throb. Alixka gritted her teeth, glaring at Marluxia as she zipped up her coat and vanished in a cloud of black and purple.

~~~

“Let’s make this quick and sweet!” Larxene snapped at Alixka as they speedily wandered through The Lotus Forest, Demyx trailing behind them. Their mission had brought them to Wonderland in order to take out a particularly large Heartless that had been reeking havoc. 

“Hey! No complaints from me! Quick and sweet is what I like best!” Alixka replied.

The Savage Nymph raised her eyebrow at her and scoffed. “Really? For some reason, I imagined Marluxia would be more of the slow-fuck kind of guy.”

“EXCUSE YOU?! What are you talking about?!”

“Oh, I’m only talking about a certain little scene I found in the greenhouse earlier today.”

“HUH?!” A bright red flush covered the brunette’s face. “You were spying on us?!”

“Not spying.” Larxene giggled. “I was looking for you, not my fault you two can’t fuck in a more private place.”

Alixka was enraged, but she couldn’t help but give Larxene a sly grin. “Are you jealous?”

At this the blonde shrieked with laughter.

“Jealous?! Please! Don’t flatter yourself, Princess!”

“Oh?” She raised her eyebrows at Larxene with curiosity. “For some reason I thought…”

“Well you thought wrong!.”

For some reason, Alixka couldn’t help but feel somewhat relieved. She softened her face a little.

“So, do you enjoy fucking him?”

The bright red flush returned returned to Alixka’s face as she recalled what had transpired between them not too long ago. An ache of heat pulsed through her core.

“Th...that’s none of your business!”

“Judging by your face, I’ma take that as a yes.”

“Shouldn’t we be looking for the Heartless?”

“Or better yet, judging by the sounds I heard you make earlier.”

“Bitch!”

Now she had done it. Stormborn appeared in her hands, making Larxene laugh again.

“Xigbar was right! You are too much fun to mess with!”

“Oh?” Alixka allowed her weapon to vanish with another sly smile. Two could play this game. “Is Xigbar a good fuck?”

A sliver of lightning shot past Alixka, brushing against her face.

“Never in a million years! I’d fuck you before I ever dream of fucking him! At least you’re kinda cute…” The brunette couldn’t help but blush at the flattery. Larxene put her arm around her in a teasing manner. “And I imagine you’re quite vocal too.”

“You’ll never know!”

“I already do, Princess!” Pulling away from Alixka and fluttering her eyelashes in a dreamy sort of way. “Oh, Marluxia! What are you doing...ah..please...ah!”

While she was both infuriated and embarrassed, Alixka found herself strangely amused by The Savage Nymph and her mockery. She giggled in spite of herself but Larxene’s next comment caused another throb between her legs.

“So, what does he like to do to you?”

“Why would you think I’d ever tell you THAT?!”

“Just curious!” The blonde replied, trying her best to sound as nonchalant as possible. The Maiden of Tempests had some really pretty eyes. And cute little lips. “I may want to know for...future purposes.”

“The fuck does THAT mean?!” 

“Ohhhh you know, just in case…”

“Find yourself someone else to fuck!” Alixka snapped. “You have many options for that! Luxord is quite a looker! Saix would be too if he weren’t such an ass.”

“I already to you, I don’t want to know so I can fuck Marluxia.” Larxene replied. I want to know what makes YOU scream?”

Alixka raised an eyebrow at her, she felt a strange yet familiar heat begin to rise in her as she studied the blonde’s face. She also had very pretty eyes as well.

“Excuse you?”

“Marluxia can have a very sadistic nature sometimes, does that transfer to the bedroom as well? Does his sadism make you moan like that?”

“THAT'S IT! WE ARE NOW CHANGING THE SUBJECT!!!” Alixka glared Larxene and picked up the pace of her walking, hoping that the fast movement would cool her down. “So may I ask, is there anyone in the Organization that you actually _want_ to fuck?”

Another shrill laugh resonated from The Savage Nymph.

“No way! There is only one person who would have my heart if I had one and they’re not in the Organization! Not even Marluxia can compare to them!”

She highly doubted that! But she was still curious. “Who, Larxene?”

“Ha!” The blonde placed a coy finger to her lips and grinned at the brunette. “My secret!”

Before she could further question Larxene further, there was a sharp rustling from the bushes nearby as a Behemoth jumped in front of them, causing a shockwave that they both managed to dodge. Their target.

“That was quick!” Alixka grinned as Stormborn reappeared in her hands.

“Not like Marluxia, I hope!” Larxene giggled as she summoned her knives.

“BITCH SHUT UP!”

“How about you take that rage and direct it to the target.”

“UGH!!!”

The Behemoth stood no chance against the two fierce ladies. They took turns striking blows on the creature before it finally fell with little trouble. Larxene watched the creature fade away and turned to Alixka with a smile almost genuine.

“You’re not bad, Princess.”

Alixka smirked. “Hmmph! I could say the same about you too, Larxene.”

They had been moving through the forest so quickly that Demyx had lost track of them. Now when he finally managed to find them again, he found that their work was done.

“Hey, Alixka! What did I miss?”

“Oh nothing, Demyx!” The brunette replied sarcastically. “Larxene and I just took down our target while you were busy getting lost.”

The blonde man’s face lit up. “Oh, great! So the mission is over now?”

“Yeah!” Larxene snapped. “And you didn’t do a single fucking thing! As usual!”

She pointed a small wave of lightening at Demyx, shocking him in the ass. The Savage Nymph laughed and Alixka couldn’t help but laugh with her.

~~~

Things may have turned out better than Alixka had expected but nevertheless she was a little more than thrilled when they finally returned to the castle after completing the mission. She could not understand how she had managed to stay focused at all with all the thoughts of Marluxia swirling in her head. Larxene didn’t help matters either. They quickly reported their success to Saix and with that Alixka quickly made her way back to her room, that heat between her legs beginning to burn once more.

Somehow she was not at all surprised to find the elegant pink haired Nobody waiting for her already, laying on her bed casually flipping though one of her books. Alixka could feel at once when his eyes directed themselves to her presence, the way he looked at her, already undressing her in his mind. Marluxia rose from his spot on the bed and walked over to her, his eyes not leaving hers for a second.

“Welcome back, Rosebud.” He said. “I’ve been waiting.”

His soft, low voice sent shivers down her spine, even as she smiled at him, trying her best to not appear as desperate as her body felt at that moment. At least not yet. He closed the distance between them and pulled Alixka into his arms. She sighed when their bodies made contact, it was so satisfying and the feeling only heightened as she felt Marluxia’s lips press against her neck.

“Have you been thinking about me?”

He did not wait for her answer before he began to pull down the zipper of her coat, taking the time to remove his gloves so his hands could fully make contact with her newly exposed flesh. When he felt her shudder at his touch, he grinned and fully pushed her coat off of her shoulders. The sudden chill of the air on her bare skin made her shudder once more. Marluxia wrapped his arms around her.

“It looks like you have.”

Alixka couldn't take it anymore, she allowed herself to melt completely into him. Marluxia took her chin into his hands and held her gaze with his as he took his other hand and began to remove his own coat, making sure she watched him. Slowly he guided her hand towards his body, letting her feel the warmth of his bare chest, down his stomach and hips, before stopping her hand right at the bulge in his pants. Her violet eyes fluttered up towards his blue eyes as they regarded her with a knowing look.

“I’ve been thinking about you as well.”

A gentle thrust into her hand made Alixka pull it away and blush. “What you did to me earlier…” She whispered. “Was very cruel...”

“Oh?”

There was a little smirk on his lips as he took her hand back into his, slowly kissing each of her fingers one by one. With his free hand he ran his fingers lightly down her lower back, giving her ass a playful squeeze. The resulting sound from her lips made his smirk grow wider.

“Did I tease you a little too much? So sorry, Rosebud.” This is what he said but Alixka knew that it was a lie, he wasn’t sorry at all. “Shall I now give you what you’ve so patiently been waiting for?”

She closed her eyes and he took the hint, lavishing her with a deep and urgent kiss. Their bodies pressed closer to each other as Alixka kissed back with equal determination.

 _Finally,_ she thought. _I want you to have me completely._

It was almost as though Marluxia could hear her thoughts for in a moment he was lifting her up into his arms and carried her to her bed. In another moment Alixka found herself laying under him as his fingers and lips continued to spoil her. Her body writhed under his erotic attentions and it was not agreeable at all when she felt him pull away. She regarded him with a pouting expression.

“There’s something I want to do with you, Alixka.” He said. “If you’re open, I believe that you’ll enjoy it.”

Alixka smiled as Marluxia took both of her hands into his, kissing them tenderly.

“Close your eyes.”

She obeyed him and felt as he placed her hands above her head. A strange force began pulling at her wrists and she opened her eyes to realize that she her hands were now bound with a tight and unyielding vine. Marluxia looked down at her surprised face with a playful smirk.

“Do you recall that first meeting in the greenhouse?” He asked teasingly, his fingers ghosting down the side of her body and making her shake. “I wanted to recreate that moment but in a more...interesting way.”

Alixka blushed furiously at the recollection, and at what his words were implying to her. Was this the truly sadistic side of Marluxia that Larxene had always teased her about? Was she about to experience that sadism first hand? 

“If...if my hands are tied like this…then…” she was certain that if her face could be any hotter then it would melt. “Then you can…”

“That’s right.” Marluxia’s eyes flashed with a devilishly sexy look. “Your body will be completely at my mercy. I can lavish you in any way I wish, for _as long_ as I wish, and there will be no escape for you, my coy little Rosebud.”

As if to prove this point, he brushed his fingers sensuously against one of her nipples, relishing the sound that resulted from her lips.

“Marluxia…”

“However...I do understand if this makes you uncomfortable. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Alixka looked up at him to see a curious look of concern on his face. But truthfully, the idea of being bound under him was more than a little thrilling to her. Even though she knew Marluxia would toy with her mercilessly she couldn’t help but wonder exactly how he would do it; what would he do to her, and how much of it she could take before he completely left her breathless.

“You won’t hurt me.” She smiled. “Torment me maybe. But I kind of want that.”

That look of concern immediately vanished from his eyes and she realized at once the weight of her words. He chuckled seductively, causing the heat between her legs to throb.

“So glad you are in agreement.” Marluxia whispered to her as he ran one finger slowly up the underside of her thigh, making her tremble with anticipation. “I will torment you. But you will love every moment of it, my darling.” He pressed a kiss against her neck. “And so will I.”

~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm currently trying to edit this work to make it comply to the guidelines of FF.net, what a experience THAT has been! 
> 
> Ya know, I do acknowledge that this entire work could have been omitted of smut and likely nothing would have been missed from the plot. I acknowledge this and yet, that is not the kind of person that I am.


	13. Flowers by Any Other Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The closer Alixka get's to Marluxia, the further she finds herself drifting apart from her friend Zexion. And the more she questions if Nobodies truly are incapable of emotions. 
> 
> *Casually disregards what happened in Aqua's segment of The Castle of Dreams in BBS*

~~~

It was a beautiful town, full of quaint houses and cobblestone streets that seemed to come out of the illustrations of a storybook. And the shining castle in the distance reminded Alixka so much of her dreams of Radiant Garden that it made sense to her that this world was called The Castle of Dreams.

If only she could be doing this alone. She was there with Zexion and they were supposed to be doing extended recon in this world. Normally she wouldn’t have minded at all being partnered with him since she considered him a friend, but this time things were different. He didn’t seem as interested in working with her as she thought he would. And he also seemed a lot more irritable than usual, frequently berating her findings or chiding her for not being more covert as they were expected to be. 

“The town seems a lot busier compared to the last time any of us were here.” she had said. “I overheard that there’s going to be a ball at the castle. That may explain…”

“So you’re telling me you got close enough to civilians to hear their conversation?” he asked, not seeming to take note of what she was saying. “Need I remind you AGAIN that we must remain hidden?”

“No one saw me!” Alixka made a face. “The market place is crowded, I doubt…”

“Oh, no matter! And what about Heartless?” 

“What about them? I haven’t seen any more than usual, wait. Now that I think about it…” she paused as she thought about what she was about to say.

“What?!”

“Nothing!” his shortness was beginning to annoy her. “It’s just that I’ve noticed more Pureblood Heartless around compared to Emblem Heartless. Normally Purebloods aren’t seen in such numbers in the Realm of Light.”

“I see, that is interesting.” for once Zexion didn’t seem to have anything harsh to say. Instead he looked up at the sky and around them before giving a despondent sigh that Alixka did not understand. “We’ll leave this world tomorrow. You may go and investigate on your own if you wish.”

She smiled, as she had been waiting for an opportunity like this. She honestly preferred missions on her own and Zexion wasn’t making things easier with his attitude. 

“Meet me back here at sundown.” he went on. “And _try_ to remember though that we are expected to remain covert!”

She nodded and turned to leave, rolling her eyes to herself as she did. Why was Zexion acting so cross with her? More so than usual? Honestly she knew why but it still confused her. 

Clearly he had begun to notice how close she was becoming to Marluxia and more recently Larxene. After he had explicitly warned her not to trust them. Alixka had no intention of ending her closeness with either of them but she couldn’t help but wonder where the distrust came from. If only Zexion could better articulate why he did not approve of No. XI and XII then perhaps they could come to a better understanding.

But Alixka didn’t want to give much thought to this, rather she wanted to enjoy her time alone for as long as she could without worrying about his judgement. One of the things she liked to do on solo missions was watch the inhabitants from the shadows. Ever since her mission in Motunui, she always found herself curious about Somebodies and what it was like to have a heart. Truthfully they seemed no different than Nobodies to her, except of course their emotions were actually real. 

For a while she had been walking along the alleys and backstreets of town when Alixka was suddenly taken by a wonderful aroma. She followed the scent to the open window of a bakery. Peeking inside she could see a diverse array of bread and other baked goods on display with a baker holding a basket of freshly baked loaves. 

But his attention was not on the bread, rather he was focusing intently on a young woman in his shop. She had red hair and seemed to be focusing on him as well. The way they were looking at each other gave Alixka a strange sense of warmth. It was actually rather sweet to her mind. 

“Anastasia! What are you doing here?!”

Their attention was turned to a malevolent looking woman with another young woman next to her who looked equally as wicked. They berated the redhead for being in the shop and quickly dragged her out. 

“You are not to speak a word to that shopkeeper! I forbid it!”

“Yes, Mother.”

There was a look of disappointment in the young woman’s face that made Alixka feel strangely angry. What had she done wrong? The baker seemed nice and she seemed to like him. The more she thought of it, the angrier she became. It almost reminded her of how the senior members acted about Marluxia, having contempt for him without any real reason. 

_It’s not fair! Poor Anastasia, I understand what she feels. Even if I can’t feel myself._

Alixka took one last look into the baker’s shop, on his face was a sweet look of longing that she understood well. For their sake, Alixka hoped that they would see each other again in spite of the cruel words of Anastasia’s mother. She left the area and continued her mission, but her mind was still on what she had seen in the baker’s shop. Specifically, she found herself drawn to the way they were looking at each other; as if they were both lost in each other’s eyes. Lost and yet did not want to look away. 

And without realizing it, her mind recalled the first time she had ever looked at Marluxia. Had she looked at him in a similar way? She couldn't remember but it did seem that way, the way his intense blue gaze held her in place was very similar to how the baker looked at Anastasia. 

No, this was bad. She was thinking about it again. Questioning it again. 

Besides not having hearts, Nobodies and Somebodies seemed no different from each other. They acted in similar ways and Alixka was beginning to be convinced that it was not just acting. She thought about it a lot, more than she wanted to, particularly when she was alone with Marluxia. Their time together always made her question her ability to feel and she didn’t like the idea that whatever they had was only based on memories of feeling. What if when they were finally granted hearts they found that they did not really like each other like they thought they did? How terrible that would be! 

_No. I have to stop thinking about this! It would do no good continuing to dwell on this! It’s not like this will be answered anytime soon anyway!_

Alixka walked on, making a point of continuing to use the back streets and alleys as she took her notes on the world and dealt with any Heartless she came across. She was about to return to her meeting place with Zexion, in order to beat him there, when one of her Vixens appeared before her. It swirled around her, conveying a bit of information it though it’s Mistress would find interesting. She nodded and waved it away, walking the opposite way down a spiraling path that took her to a small fountain. And there sat Anastasia, disheveled with tears in her eyes. Alixka stopped quickly, placing herself at a hidden corner where she could watch her without her presence being known.

_What happened, I wonder. Does it have something to do with the baker?_

Her questions were soon answered with the arrival of a blonde young woman, taking a seat beside her. This person seemed far more amiable than the two who had dragged Anastasia out of the shop earlier, she certainly seemed like she wanted to help her. 

“Don’t give up just yet.” she said kindly, to which Anastasia scoffed.

“What would you know? You’re beautiful! It’s always been easy for you! If only I weren’t so clumsy and plain…”

“Listen, you just need a little help.” the blonde smiled and helped Anastasia to her feet. “Come back to the castle with me, we’ll clean you up and then get you two together!”

Alixka suppressed a small giggle, she liked this idea but clearly Anastasia was still worried.

“Mother forbids it She thinks he’s beneath me!” 

“And I think she’s wrong! The baker is wonderful, and he cooks too!”

The moment they were gone, Alixka went to the small fountain. It looked like her hope for Anastasia would come to pass after all. That’s when she looked up at the sky and saw that it was getting late. As much as she wanted to remain there or even continue exploring the town she knew she was still technically supposed to be working and that meant returning to Zexion soon. 

Hopefully he would not berate her any more for the day, it wasn’t like she had spent her entire time just people watching. Alixka had taken sufficient notes on the town and it was true about the increase of Pureblood Heartless. It was actually beginning to concern her, they appeared in every world with Heartless but not like this. This wasn’t the Realm of Darkness or In-Between. What could this mean for this world?

As she thought about this, she passed by a dressmaker’s shop and caught a quick glance at something pretty in the display window. A dress of raspberry silk opening against an underskirt of lavender, beautiful to her mind. She wondered what it would be like to have such a dress, hardly remembering ever wearing anything besides her black coat and gloves. 

That’s when she had an idea: Zexion had chided her earlier about remaining covert, not letting the inhabitants become aware of their presence in their world. What better way to keep her cover than by changing her appearance to better fit in? Saix would surely have her head for it but who said he ever had to know? She took another look at the dress and noticed the price; only 500 munny, hardly expensive, her decision was made.

~~~

That night, Alixka and Zexion stayed the night at an inn in town. It was her first time staying overnight in any place outside The World that Never was and even if it was under less than pleasant circumstances, she did like the change of scenery. At least she and her partner weren’t sharing beds.

“Here’s a list of my findings from today.” she said, handing her notes to him. “Don’t worry, I kept well out of sight.”

Zexion took the notes but did not seem to really examine them before setting them to the side. “Very well, we’ll depart at midday. Any further exploration you wish to do before then on your own, you can.”

 _Perfect! That gives me the chance to check on Anastasia and the baker one last time!_  

Alixka bit back a small smile, on her bed was a wrapped parcel containing the dress she would wear for her recon work the next day. She was really beginning to look forward to it but a feeling of apprehension still tugged at her mind. It was obvious that Anastasia and the baker cared about each other. She and Marluxia cared about each other too but that was a different thing. 

But was it really? Was what she shared with The Graceful Assassin so different from what Somebodies shared? The more she thought, the more perplexed she became and unbeknownst to her, her confusion had begun to show on her face.

“What is it, Alixka?” 

She shook herself from her thoughts long enough to answer him. “I’m just...thinking about something I saw earlier.”

“Oh?” he gave her a look that silently asked her to share with him, but she was unsure as to how to explain her thoughts to him without incurring his snark once again. 

“It’s nothing about the mission.” she replied. “So nothing important.”

There was a long pause and he spoke again. “It...doesn’t have to be important for me to be interested.” 

His tone changed and he glanced at her in a way that almost seemed kind. It had been so long since Alixka had seen Zexion exhibit anything besides constant stoic annoyance. It honestly seemed like she had seen more smiles in Vexen than Zexion. She didn’t intend to tell her all of what she was thinking, particularly about Marluxia, but still, this alone made her think that perhaps she could finally confide in him and not have to worry about his judgement. 

“Forgive me...if this seems out of line.” she began. “I...I’ve been thinking about the idea of memories. About, remembering what it means to feel.”

“Oh? And what about it?”

“Well, let me ask you this: we all have memories of what it meant to be Somebodies, do you think maybe, maybe…”

Her voice trailed off as she became lost in her thoughts, unsure how to best tell him what she was thinking without offending him. Truthfully she was just as unsure as to what she wanted to know anyway. He could see this and despite his returning irritation, he tried to understand her.

“Alixka, have you begun to remember your life before the Organization?” he asked. “Before...you were a Nobody?”

“Some.” she admitted. “My memories come and go, mostly in dreams. One of the recurring memories I have is about a group of kind men and a beautiful castle. I can never make out the faces of the men but the castle strangely reminds me of the one in Hollow Bastion. I don’t know why, it just…”

“Hmmm.”

Zexion raised his palm to silence her and nodded with understanding. So she had begun to remember who she was before all of this, the happy life they all had together before this hollow existence. If she had begun to recall the castle and the apprentices, could it be possible that she could also recall other things about that life too? Maybe even…?

“And...do you remember anything else?”

“Anything else? What do you mean?”

“About the castle? And the men? Do you have any other memories from that time?”

“I...not really.”

“I see.” there was another long pause between them before Alixka decided to ask him another question.

“What about you, Zex? Do you have any memories of who you used to be?”

Zexion did not respond to this, not directly. He stared at Alixka for a long time before shaking his head to himself and stretching out on his bed.

“Memories of emotions and having emotons are not the same thing.” she heard him murmur.

“That...wasn’t what I asked.” she said. 

“More for myself.” he replied. 

“If you don’t have any memories from your past, it’s okay. I know Marluxia…”

_Shit! Shit! Didn’t mean to say that!_

But he had already heard her and his willingness to open up to her quickly vanished. He glared and turned his body so his back was facing her. 

“I _do_ have memories.” he replied coldly. “But nothing I’m willing to share with you. Not now anyway. It’s late, get some rest.”

Alixka sighed but she knew there would be no use trying to persuade Zexion otherwise, such was his stubbornness. Silently she cursed herself for forgetting his contempt for The Graceful Assassin, even if it still made no sense to her. With nothing else to do or say, she turned off the lamp beside her and soon enough was asleep as well. 

~~~

_“What do you think, Aeleus?” she twirled around her room happily, the rich purple folds of her gown gracefully swaying with her. “It’s the one I was admiring yesterday? Remember?”_

_“I do, Miss.” he smiled and gently took her hand. “And it suits you very well, if I do say so myself.”_

_“Braig said it was sent to me anonymously.” she went on. “But the only people who knew I liked this gown were you and Dilan. I wonder…” she stopped admiring herself long enough to stare at Aeleus thoughtfully. “Aeleus, was it you? Did you buy this gown for me?”_

_Of course he knew who had bought the dress but it was not him. Unfortunately for her, the redheaded guardsman had also been sworn to secrecy. He did not respond to her, only smiling as he sat her down at the mirror and began to dress her hair in preparation for the ball that was now only a few hours away._

_Another dream, another memory._

~~~

“What the hell are you wearing?!”

It was with great shock and even greater annoyance that Zexion woke up the next morning to see Alixka dressed in a way he had never seen before, at least not in this life. She had gotten up early and changed into the raspberry dress, somehow it did not seem to surprise her that she was able to get into the dress without any help despite not remembering having any other clothes besides what she always wore in the Organization. What was a surprise though was the rather cold reaction of The Cloaked Schemer. She made a face at him.

“What?! You told me the other day we have to remain hidden and not let other people notice us! So what better way…”

“This is against every stature Lord Xemnas had placed upon us!” he waved his hands in wild vexation. “The vestments of the Organization have a purpose!”

“What purpose?!” 

“Our coats protect us from the darkness! It keeps the darkness from getting to us when we use the corridors!” He swiped her discarded coat off her bed and flung it in her face for emphasis. “Alixka, think! Continue wearing that frock and you’ll be at risk!”

“Fine then, I just won’t teleport or use corridors!” she replied with a calm that was rather enraging for someone who was so certain of his inability to feel emotion. She then extended her hand and summoned her weapon. “And I can still fight Heartless. Honestly, Zexion, I don’t understand what the problem is here! Just as I don’t understand why…”

Alixka was about to say she didn’t understand why exactly Zexion didn’t approve of Marluxia but she bit her tongue. Considering his current state, such a thing may prove unwise. But after a few moments of glaring at each other, Zexion’s face softened. As much as he didn’t like to admit it, Alixka did have a point and the dress did suit her very nicely. It reminded him of another dress that was just as beautiful on her. And she looked just as beautiful then as he did now. 

“Very well, Alixka. You’ll do as you please, as you always do. And I promise I won’t tell Saix…”

“Oh thank you, Zexion! Thank you!” she grabbed both of his hands with joyous enthusiasm. “I promise I’ll get rid of the dress as soon as we’re ready to RTC. No one ever has to know I even had it!” 

Despite his initial irritation with her, he allowed himself to smile a little. Loath he was to admit it, the dress was indeed very pretty on her and her happiness in being able to wear it was quite endearing indeed. Even if both feelings were nothing but an illusion.

~~~

It was Alixka’s intention to return to the baker’s shop first, but unable to teleport, it was a bit of a distance. At least she was getting good exercise. She was almost there when she passed by a flower vendor, it didn’t hold much interest to her until she saw the baker standing there out of the corner of her eye. Quickly, she placed herself at a corner and watched as he purchased a heart shaped wreath of pink roses.

_It must be for Anastasia. And I’m sure she’ll love it!_

And soon after this, she saw Anastasia herself purchase a wreath as well. She was dressed differently than the day before, in a way she actually seemed a little happier, more confident in a way. Her kind companion from the previous day was with her, giving her some last minute advice. 

Alixka watched as they walked off together and for some reason, her mind returned again to thoughts of Marluxia. She remembered all the times he gave her flowers, whether it were the roses he would leave for her at night or the many times before they began their relationship when he would give them to her as a means of getting on her good side. A smile came to her face and without realizing, she had begun to walk towards the flower booth. A heart shaped wreath was also placed in her hand and paid for. 

“For a special someone, Miss?” the vendor asked her. 

Alixka hesitated but then smiled again. “Yes, you could say that.”

“Well I hope he likes them.” he smiled.

“Yes, me too.”

At that moment, it didn’t matter to Alixka that what she and Marluxia shared was an illusion based on memory. She walked on to the bakers shop. When she got there, she noticed him standing outside his shop and looking quite nervous. He was muttering to himself, trying to find the proper words to ask Anastasia to the ball that would be soon. She giggled. 

“There’s no need to be so bashful! I’m sure she’ll say yes!” 

He jumped at the sound of her voice, having thought that he was alone at that moment. Looking around him, he turned around and saw Alixka giving him a kindly look. He blushed and returned her smile.

“Do you...think she’ll like them?” he asked, holding out the wreath to her. 

“Seriously?” she giggled again. “What girl doesn’t enjoy getting flowers? I’m sure she’ll love them!” 

“I hope so.”

“You must really care about her, don’t you?” 

He was about to answer her when they both heard what sounded like a loud gasp. They turned around and saw Anastasia looking extremely distraught. Neither of them had time to say anything before she burst into tears, tossing her wreath aside and running away in the opposite direction. 

It didn’t take Alixka long to suspect what Anastasia might have seen. She thought about the night she came into the greenhouse and saw Marluxia laughing with Larxene and from her point of view, why should she have thought any differently? She turned to the baker and apologized profusely but he did not seem upset more so concerned for Anastasia.

“Go after her!” she said. “Now! Before she gets to far!”

She watched as he did so, with a sick and guilty sensation in her chest that felt deceptively real. 

 _UGH! I am such an idiot! Forgive me Zexion, I understand now what you meant about remaining covert. Oh, I hope the baker can find her soon!_  

With a wave of her hand, a single Vixen answered her call. She instructed the creature to find Anastasia and report her whereabouts to her. It didn’t take long for the Nobody to return and give it’s Mistress the knowledge she wanted. Alixka found Anastasia in a small back area, sobbing beside a fountain perhaps unironically carved with a statue of Cupid. 

This was the second time Alixka had seen her like this and this time she understood why. For that reason alone she felt it was not her place to approach her. So she only watched from her corner hoping that the baker would find her here soon and set things right.

~~~

He did arrive a while later, taking a seat at the same fountain as Anastasia but on the opposite end. His wreath was gone and he held in his hand only a single pink rose. Apparently he was not yet aware of his sweetheart being so close by and vice versa. Alixka decided to give matters one last helping hand by kicking a stone towards the fountain, the sound loud enough to catch both their attention and they turned to each other.

“Are you okay?”

The baker approached her but Anastasia was apparently ashamed to even meet his gaze. She tried to run off but he stopped her, and she found herself not wanting to leave his presence anyway in spite of her embarrassment. He smiled at her, handing her the single flower and after a few moments, she smiled as well and took it. Alixka watched them, doing her absolute best to conceal her joy at seeing them together at last.

“Anastasia! How DARE you defy me?!”

Just the sound of her mother’s imperious voice was enough to make the poor redhead go completely pale. She arrived with her other daughter moments later. Alixka clutched the stone wall, admittingly afraid of what would happen next. 

“You were forbidden to speak to this man!”

“Look at her! It’s a disaster!”

“You’ve embarrassed yourself enough with this foolishness!”

Anastasia held her head with shame and Alixka clutched the wall a little harder, an angry burning sensation rumbling in her stomach. This was hardly foolishness to her mind, and it was hardly the baker’s fault that Anastasia’s mother refused to see how genuinely good he was. Such was her anger that Alixka did not notice right away that she was no longer alone, the blonde young woman from before now stood beside her. The brunette placed a finger to her lips but she seemed to already understand, something in her eyes telling Alixka that she already knew what was happening. 

“Dear child, you know I only have your best interest at heart.” her mother smiled in a way that made a mockery of kindness. “You deserve better. Let’s go.”

She began to drag Anastasia away and Alixka bit her lip to keep her from yelling out something angry and unwise. But thankfully it seemed that Anastasia did not agree with her mother and yanked her hand away.

“No! You’re wrong, mother!” she ran back towards him and took his hand with new confidence. “He’s sweet!”

“She’s wonderful!”

“And we are going to the ball together!” 

Anastasia’s mother gasped at her daughter’s indignation but after a few moments she composed herself, calling for her other daughter as she coldly walked away. A new and knowing smile came to the blonde’s face that she shared with Alixka. They watched the happy new couple a little while longer before the blonde gently pulled Alixka’s hand away back to the main street.

“That’s the way it should be!” she said. 

“Yes.” the brunette agreed with a smile of her own. “I couldn’t agree more.”

“Will you also be attending the ball?”

“I...don’t think so.”

“Oh. Well, there's always next time. And I’m sure you will one day be just as happy as Anastasia.”

It was an odd thing to say, considering that Alixka did not know this woman and considering it wasn’t in the nature of Nobodies to really be happy. But she nevertheless appreciated the kindness and thanked her, sensing in this young woman a strong presence of light that she was sure kept her heart pure and true. 

They went their separate ways and Alixka went to meet up with Zexion. All in all, things had gone a lot better than expected and she was certain that Zexion would never know about what she had been doing that day. Or so she thought. She was making her way down the street when she felt something rough pull at her arm and yanked her into a nearby alley with such force that she dropped her wreath. On instinct she summoned Stomborn but when she looked up she saw that it was her slate haired companion anger blooming in his normally composed face. 

“Alixka!” he snapped. “What have you done?!” 

“What are you talking about?!” she asked. “I didn’t do anything! Nothing you didn’t say I could…” 

“I know you were talking to the inhabitants!” he said. “And after I specifically said…”

“If they think I’m one of them dressed like this, then what's the problem?!” now she was truly becoming angry. “And how did you know…”

He didn’t wait for her to finish before waving his hand and summoning a Mystic, one of his own Lesser Nobodies. It floated beside it’s Master in a way that Alixka understood and made her even angrier. It was obvious he had used the creature to spy on her. 

“I shouldn’t have allowed you to go off on your own!” he went on. “It was careless of me and foolish of you! Making a mockery of the Organization with your attire and fraternizing with Somebodies! As if you’re one of them! What has Marluxia done to you?!”

“EXCUSE YOU?!” she pulled away from his grasp and summoned a Lesser Nobody of her own. The Vixen that appeared beside her carried her black coat that she quickly pulled over her dress. “What does Marluxia have to do with any of this?! How about instead of getting angry at me you EXPLAIN to me…”

“Just forget it!” he replied sharply. “It doesn’t matter anyway, let’s RTC now before the darkness swallows us along with this world.”

“Huh?” her anger momentarily vanished at this statement. “We’re in the Realm of Light. What are you talking about?”

Zexion responded by grabbing their hand as they vanished in a black and purple cloud, reappearing again outside the town. The clouds made the sky look darker from this point of view and he pointed towards it, to a glowing dark orb. It’s blood red core flashing ominously. 

“Do you see that?” he asked. “I noticed it when we first arrived here. It was smaller before but now it’s growing.”

“What is it? It doesn’t look good.”

“It’s not! It means the Heartless will soon take this world and plunge it into Darkness. That’s why there are so many Pureblood Heartless lurking in this world.” 

Alixka gasped, plunged into Darkness! She was aware that this was the fate of some of the worlds if the Heartless stayed for too long, but she never really thought about it until now. She took another look at the sky and in her mind she thought of another dark orb in the sky similar to this one, that she thought she had seen before even if she couldn’t remember it. 

“So that means…” she murmured. “All the people here, they’ll fall with the darkness as well. The Heartless will destroy them and…”

“Please don’t mistake that illusionary sensation of regret, Alixka. This happens to all worlds once the Heartless come. Just like…”

“Is it so bad that I may be worried about the people here?!”

“It wouldn’t be if you actually COULD worry! But you can't, so what’s the point?!” 

His words stung but there wasn’t much Alixka could say or do. She knew he was right, this world would fall to darkness and everyone, Anastasia, the baker, the kindly blonde woman, would all fall with it. 

“How much longer, do you think?” she asked. “How much longer until…”

“We’ve wasted enough time here.” he cut her off. “I still promise not to tell Saix about your foolishness so long as YOU will not repeat a word about this either.”

“Don’t worry, Zexion.” she replied, biting back frustration as she stepped into the Dark Corridor he summoned. “I won’t.”

~~~

They returned to the castle and reported their “success”. Alixka and Zexion had been sent to The Castle of Dreams to see if the world was indeed at risk of falling into Darkness. Now that the Organization was certain, it was determined that none of them would do missions there any longer. The moment Saix was done with them, Alixka returned to her room and collapsed onto her bed. She should have been glad to have returned to her own bed but she was not.

It was an odd thing, she always thought, whenever tears came to her eyes. How could you cry if you couldn’t feel? Were her tears an illusion as well? Her fears for the inhabitants of The Castle of Dreams? Was it really all a lie? 

She didn’t want to dwell on it for too long though, she knew it would do no good to continue asking herself these things over and over again. Instead she bit down hard on her lip to keep her tears from returning and soon found herself falling into a restless sleep. 

That night she dreamed of another dark orb in the sky, she dreamed of horrid dark creatures swallowing up everything around her and dragging her into a void of unknown. It seemed almost like another memory, she could see the castle of her other dreams in the distance but it was also being swallowed by darkness. It was horrible. Could this possibly be another memory?

When she finally forced herself awake from the nightmare, Alixka looked around her room for a few moments before resting her eyes on her nightstand. A soft pink rose was left for her that made her feel even worse than before if that was possible. It was still the middle of the night and she had planned to spend that evening with Marluxia once she had returned to the castle. She could see now that he had already been there and saw her asleep. 

But at the same time she was somewhat glad, a part of her really not wanting to see him anyway. After all, there was no point in indulging in illusionary feelings, as Zexion would call them. Even if they felt deceptively real to her. 

~~~

“You’re mine today, Alixka.”

Alixka gave Vexen a small smile. It was a few days later and she was once again being sent out on yet another recon mission.

“We’re going to a new world today, but fear not.” The blonde scientist gave her a sly grin. “Where we’re going will not be as treacherous as Hollow Bastion.”

She pretended not to hear his sarcasm as she followed him into a Dark Corridor. In her pocket she held onto a small piece of paper that her pink haired lover had pressed into her palm as she was walking into The Grey Area. It was all she could do not to pull it out but with under Vexen’s scrutinizing gaze, she knew that would have to wait.

“This is rare.” Alixka murmured as they walked down a dimly lit alley, “It seems of all the members, I see you the least.”

“I’m a scholar by nature.” He replied. “I serve the Organization best with my research.”

“What kind of research? I know you were gone from the castle for a while some time ago.”

“That, my child, is classified information.”

So many secrets in this Organization. She made a face at him but was surprised when Vexen turned back at her with something of a satisfied grin.

“But I will tell you this.” With a hint of excitement in his voice. “Soon you and the rest of the Organization will witness the fruits of my research. It is a marvel beyond the imagination!”

“I take it that's another secret as well?”

A low, somewhat sinister chuckle resonated from the scientist. That probably meant yes. She turned away from him as they made their way out of the alley into a more open area. Alixka stopped dead in her tracks as she was struck with something resembling terror. 

This place, the place they were at...it was…

“No. 0! What is the matter with you?!”

The brunette could not answer, she was so struck and in a moment she  collapsed onto her knees, shaking uncontrollably.

“If you don’t tell me what is wrong I will…”

“This place!” She gasped. “This is where...where it happened!”

“Where WHAT happened?!”

“This is where the Heartless attacked me! When I lost my heart!”

Vexen was betrayed into a small gasp. Suddenly his irritation with the girl vanished and he rushed to help her to her feet.

“So...this is where you lived as a Somebody?” He said. “But...how did you come to live in Traverse Town after…” 

He paused as he quickly remembered; those whose world falls to darkness end up in Traverse Town. That would explain why she did not show up in The World That Never Was so soon after the final experiment. Alixka glanced up at him.

“After what?”

Vexen hesitated. “Do you remember yet? Anything beyond your life in this place?”

“N..no...yes...some...but not a lot.”

“I see.” He sighed. “Alixka, you may RTC if you wish.”

“Huh?!”

“I am more than capable of gathering intel on this world by myself. With your memories of this place being....I don’t expect you to be able to focus properly.”

Even in her distress, Alixka could not help but feel slightly offended.

“I am! I was fine during my mission to Hollow Bastion!”

“If by ‘fine’ you mean pulling an arm muscle and being out of commission for a week then yes! You were fine!”

“That was then! This is now! Don’t treat me like a child!”

“Stop being intemperate!” Vexen snapped. “I do not give this privilege lightly!”

She grumbled but as she stood there under her feelings of irritation, she felt a pointed corner of the folded piece of paper in her pocket poke at her side. Being so busy being annoyed by Vexen’s words, Alixka had not even considered what this could mean.

“Fine. But...don’t tell Saix that I RTC early. Otherwise he’ll likely go berserk.”

“Don’t insult me!” He snapped again. “Of course I will not tell him! Now be a good girl and RTC!”

She slipped her hand into her pocket as she disappeared in the Dark Corridor, the moment Vexen was out of her sight Alixka pulled the paper out and unfolded it. Three lines were written in Marluxia’s graceful handwriting.

_Meet me at The Hall of Empty Melodies_

_After your mission is complete_

_I’ll be waiting for you_

~~~

Alixka had actually begun to wonder if Vexen had used her distress as an excuse to do the mission alone. He was a solitary figure, even Zexion couldn’t be considered really close to him. But Alixka wasn’t going to dwell on what ended up being something of a blessing in disguise. Her mood had begun to shift and she was actually looking forward to seeing Marluxia again as she stood on the lower level of the hall, staring up at the winged balcony and waiting for him.

He appeared moments later, looking around quickly to ensure that they were the only one’s around. When he was certain that they were alone he pulled her into his arms.

“Now, Darling, tell me why you have neglected to seek me out this last week and how you managed to get away from Vexen so easily.”

Alixka gave him a shy smile. “It’s...hard to explain. I will tell you later...when we are completely alone…”

“We will be in a few seconds…”

Marluxia tightened his hold on her as they vanished. Alixka had expected to be taken to either her room or his, so she was surprised when she found that they were now standing in the middle of a beautiful forest.

“Where...are we?”

“One of my earliest solo missions was in this world and it left a great impression on me. Have you ever been here?”Alixka shook her head and he smiled down at her. “I thought you would enjoy being here. Isn’t it lovely?”

She pulled away from him and fully took in the scenery. It was still daytime in this world and the sun shone brilliantly behind the trees and the sky was a perfect blue. All around them were many beautiful plants and below them she could see that they were standing near the top of a steep hill covered with wildflowers and butterflies fluttering about.

“This place is beautiful.” She said. “But...are we really...here?”

Marluxia folded his arms together and raised his eyebrow at her, laughing a little.

“Have some decency, my silly Rosebud. I thought we would do something a little different today. No fun just going back and forth from the castle and after all…” With a little smirk. “I do enjoy your company outside of the bedroom.”

Alixka blushed as he took her hands into his. “So...is this a...date?”

“If you wish to consider it such.”He brought her hands to his lips and kissed them softly before leaning into her and whispering against her lips. “I’m still going to tie you up when we RTC.”

She blushed and did her best to pretend that she did not hear him. They walked a little together, taking in the fresh air and sunshine before coming to the very top of the flower hill. Neither of them wanted to crush any of the flowers under their feet so they decided to teleport down the hill but didn’t realize that the trail was still a little steep. Both of them quickly lost their footing and went tumbling down the rest of the way. Marluxia caught Alixka in his arms as she looked up at him, fluttering her eyes in surprise.

“You said ‘not here’!” She giggled, feeling his weight on top of her. He pulled away from her and helped her up to her feet, also laughing.

“I know.” He replied. “But you could say that you are so irresistible that I can’t help but want to be all over you.”

When they were both back on their feet they realized they were standing at a shoreline. In the distance was a long bridge leading to a hilly kingdom topped by a beautiful castle. Alixka at once thought of The Castle of Dreams, a world that was surely engulfed in darkness. A strange sickness came to her stomach but for Marluxia’s sake, she smiled. 

“This place truly is beautiful.”

“Not as beautiful as you, Rosebud.”

They decided to sit together on the soft white sand beneath a shady bunch of trees. Alixka closed her eyes and listened to the waves as they lapped softly against the shore. Marluxia placed his arm around her and smiled.

“The most beautiful thing about you is how you look when you’re relaxed.” He said, stroking her hair. “The way you smile when you’re at peace.”

The brunette sighed and rested her head against him, blushing when she felt him kiss her forehead. Such a pleasant, warm feeling, even if it wasn’t real it was still comforting and she allowed the tenderness to wash over her. How much time passed with them sitting like that she was not sure, but when she opened her eyes again she realized that it was now dusk.There was now a slight chill in the air and she moved closer to her pink haired lover.

“I...I don’t want to RTC.” She sighed.

“Neither do I,” Marluxia replied. “We can stay here a little longer. It hasn’t been that long. And you never did answer my questions.”

“Which were?”

“When you returned from your extended recon, I came to your room. But you were already asleep. I didn’t think much of it but,” taking his hand to gently turn her gaze to his. “You’ve been avoiding me again. Why?”

“I’ve...been…” she bit her lip, she was going to lie and say she had been busy but she knew such a lie wouldn’t hold up since she had been assigned few missions since returning to The Castle of Dreams. But she didn’t know how to best express her thoughts to him. So for the time being, she decided to keep them hidden. “I...my mission took a lot out of me...that's all.”

“Oh?” Marluxia studied her expression, he knew there was more to it than just exhaustion but decided he wouldn’t ask her anything further. She would tell him when she was ready. “And today, how did you get away from Vexen so easily?”

Alixka hesitated as she recalled what had happened in Traverse Town. “Well, I remembered more from my past life. I...remembered where I lost my heart.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.” She continued. “Before I became a Nobody, and sometime after my life in that mysterious castle, I lived in a place called Traverse Town...”

“The world in the Realm Between?” Marluxia interrupted her. “That world is a haven to those whose home worlds were lost to darkness.”

“Lost to darkness?” Alixka thought for a few moments, if such was true then perhaps there was still hope for the inhabitants of The Castle of Dreams. But that also meant something else to her as well. “Wherever I lived before also fell to darkness?”

“That is the most likely conclusion.” He sighed. “I know you said that you’ve never been to Hollow Bastion, but you know, it did have another name before that.”

She glanced up at him with piqued curiosity, but something in her knew that she already knew the answer before he spoke again.

“Radiant Garden.”

“Radiant Garden…” She repeated. “The place in my dreams.”

They did not say anything else for a while. Alixka closed her eyes again in thought but opened them when she felt a nudge at her shoulder. Marluxia pointed to the sky.

“Look, there.”

Alixka directed her attention to a single beam of golden light emerging from the kingdom. This beam of light was then followed by several others, maybe even thousands, all at once illuminating the night sky. They were like stars, no, these were better than stars. She realized that they were lanterns when a few carried toward them by the wind, she jumped up and managed to catch one, holding it for a few moments before re-releasing it back to the sky. You can’t catch stars.

“Light…” She murmured. “It’s so beautiful…”

Marluxia rose to his feet and pulled her closer to him.

“Nothing is more beautiful than you. But I believe this spectacle is a close second.”

She couldn’t help but make a face. “You say that about everything!”

“Because it’s true.”

They locked glances before their lips met each others in a slow, tender kiss. His hands laced themselves through her hair as his deepened their kiss. It was such a magical, idealized moment. Alixka pulled away from him with a teasing grin.

“Marluxia…you knew about this! About these lights! That’s why you brought me here!”

The pink haired Nobody tilted his head, smirking a little.

“As lovely as these illuminations are, they were not a part of my plan.” The brunette made a face at him as if to say she did not believe him for a moment. “Believe me or not, but I swear this is also my first time seeing these lights.” He cupped her cheek with another teasing smirk. “But you must admit, the timing is quite perfect, isn’t it?”

Alixka made another face as she tried to pull away from him. He laughed softly and held her tighter. But in the next moment he looked at her with a serious expression.

“Light...sometimes I wonder...Alixka, do you think it’s possible that Nobodies can have hearts as well?”

The question struck her like a jolt of lightning, and could not have come at a worse time. She knew the answer was no but again, there were times like this where she could not help but wonder if she truly believed that. 

_No, not again! I thought I was over this!_

“Nobodies can have hearts…” She began. “When Kingdom Hearts is completed…”

“No, no.” He interrupted her. “That’s not what I mean. We are told we have no hearts, no feelings, only the fragments of feelings based on memories. If that is so then…”

There was a long pause as he considered what to say next. Alixka could sense what it was before he spoke and decided to take the initiative. 

“If that’s so then what would our purpose be as Nobodies?”

“Our purpose?”

“We must have some sort of purpose in this existence. Even if it’s the need to become whole people again. Whatever we experience now, it’s nothing but an illusion.”

“Alixka…” he slipped his hands into hers. “Do you really believe that?”

“Lord Xemnas says that we are shunned by darkness and light because we don’t have hearts.” She sighed.

“That’s what Xemnas says, but what about you, Alixka. What do _you_ think?”

 “I think...I think…” what did Alixka really think? It seemed as though whenever she felt she knew, she found herself with even more questions before. “I think...there can be no other purpose in this life besides recompletion. If for any other reason, so we can gain hearts of our own. Once and for all.”

“But, do you really need a heart to feel?”

Up until this moment, Alixka had done her best not to give much thought to Marluxia’s words. Now she found herself returning to thoughts better left ignored. Even if the thoughts had often crossed her mind. The idea that there may be more to her existence than their Superior had let on. But it wasn’t like it would be given proper resolution anytime soon. At least not until a Keyblade wielder joined their ranks.

“If you could truly feel…” Alixka began. “What would you be feeling now?”

Marluxia pulled away from her a little so he could look into her eyes, he gave her a gentle smile but did not answer with words. Somehow, she felt as though she didn’t need words. She closed her eyes, squeezing away a strange sensation that was burning at them.

“We should return now.”

They pulled away from each other. Alixka walked a little closer to the ocean, looking up at the countless lights in the night sky one last time. When she walked back to Marluxia, she noticed a small bunch of white flowers growing by the tree they had been sitting next to. She did not know why she had not noticed them sooner. They had varying tints of pink yellow and purple, the flowers from her dream!

“Marluxia, look at these flowers.” She reached out and touched their petals. “I noticed these flowers in the greenhouse a few days ago. Had you just planted them?”

The pink haired man smiled as he plucked a few and handed them to her. “They’re very pretty aren’t they? Not as lovely as you, of course.”

“The point is…” She hesitated, trying to find the right words. “These flowers...were in my dream. Apparently they grow in places other than Radiant Garden. But...I can’t remember their name. Marluxia, do you know?”

Marluxia gazed at her for a long moment without answering her, he then smiled again and arranged the white blossoms in her dark hair.

“Not too long after your arrival into the Organization,” He began. “Xaldin requested that I plant these. They’re a useful ingredient for ethers, but otherwise they’re just pretty to look at. Even so, though simple in appearance, they represent strength and nobility. A flower fit for a princess.”

“That sounds beautiful.” She said. “And their name?”

“Kalai.”

~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! Who wants to have a guess at which world Marluxia takes Alixka??
> 
> Yeah, obviously I wrote that segment after KH3. I lost the original passage when transferring my old writings for AO3 but if I remember correctly, the original scene had Alixka and Marluxia sneaking into a ball in Enchanted Dominion. 
> 
> When I was first creating my Kalai, in my attempts to do some world building for Radiant Garden and to keep her from being a completely obvious self insert, I decided to create this lore surrounding a fictional flower. I came up with the name Kalai from two sources: one from the Hawaiian name “Kala” which means “princess” or “lady” and the Japanese word "Ai" which means "love" or, "to love". The name Kala can also refer to a white flower called a “Pua Kala”. They are white and look similar to the flower associated with my own name.
> 
> Her name essentially means "lady of love" but within the culture of Radiant Garden (within my headcanons) Kalai means "noble strength",


	14. Key of Destiny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y'all already know what’s up. The chapter’s title says it all.

“Let us all welcome one of the Keyblade’s Chosen.”

From her towering throne, Alixka glanced down at the young boy being escorted by Axel. He couldn't be no more than fourteen years old, maybe fifteen, and had a solem aura as he raised his head and locked glances with the Superior. Considering the power that the Keyblade possesed, at least according to Xigbar, she could not imagine such a whelp wielding one. But perhaps in time he would prove as valuable to the Organization as his title implied: The Key of Destiny.

~~~

Like everyone else in the Organization, Alixka was curious about Roxas. Even Larxene couldn’t help but find her interest piqued at the idea of now having a Keyblade Wielder within their ranks. But neither of them saw much of Roxas during the first week or so. Alixka watched as Axel and Marluxia took him out on his first few missions but that was about it. 

She was being kept busier than usual completing missions. Saix had informed her that she would soon be taking part in a “project” for the Organization that would require her to be away from the castle for a few weeks. She was curious for more details but of course she was told nothing more, except that she would know when the time came.

When Roxas had been in the Organization six days, Alixka was instructed to deliver some books to Vexen who was working in his lab. As she walked down the dark halls of the basement leading to the lab, she could not help but recall another time she had walked down these same halls with Zexion on her first day after becoming a Nobody. 

More than a year had passed since then, a year and seven months to be exact. How much things had changed within that time. She once considered Zexion to be her only real friend in the Organization and enjoyed their daily chess matches. Though his snark sometimes annoyed her, she could tell that he did care about her, as did Vexen and Lexaeus.

Now she hardly saw any of them and ever since her and Zexion’s last mission together, she could not help but notice that they were ignoring her. She knew why though and it saddened her. Though it still made no sense. Vexen, she knew, wore his rank in the Organization with great pride so his contempt for the pink haired Nobody made more sense considering he was only No. XI. But why did Zexion not like him? She knew that while Lexaeus did not speak much, he more or less stuck with those two and was likely just following them. 

The only conclusion she could come to was that maybe they did not appreciate how he seemed to have more influence than they did considering that they were part of the founding members of the Organization. But was that really true? After all Xigbar was No. II and he seemed to not give one iota of a fuck about his rank and had no reservations about who he interacted with. Alixka herself had even begun to take a liking to him as of late. Though she still thought he was nasty and his teasing still made her feel gross. At least she was still close to Xaldin.

She approached the doors leading to the lab, knocking gently but loud enough to be heard. There was no response but Alixka knew well to never enter the lab without explicit permission. She knocked again and this time Vexen answered, allowing her in. When she entered she saw that Vexen was not there, likely in the smaller room where he kept his books. She sighed as she placed her delivery for him on a nearby table and was about to leave when her eyes went over to the infirmary bed in the corner. Alixka gasped as she stared into the hollow blue eyes of a hooded figure sitting on the bed.

“Who..who are you??”

The figure did not answer, thankfully Vexen appeared at this moment.

“Vexen, who is this?”

He gave her a sly grin as he motioned for the hooded figure to rise to their feet. It obeyed.

“You will know soon enough, No. 0.” He said. “But for the time being, please keep the existence of this creature a secret between you and I.”

“Is this a new member?”

“In a way, yes. But as I said before, this is our secret. For now.”

So many secrets in this Organization! But she agreed nonetheless and exited the lab. The following day they were all summoned to The Round Room once again. A new member was to be welcomed into their ranks, and so soon after Roxas. The other members looked around with interest, Alixka could not help but notice the satisfied grin on Vexen’s face. They both knew who this new member was.

Her name was Xion, No. XIV.

~~~

“So, how was your mission with the Keyblade Wielder?”

Marluxia sat with Alixka’s head in his lap as he stroked her hair thoughtfully. It was a few days after Xion’s arrival and they finally had found some time to be alone together and discuss this long-awaited thirteenth member. 

“Roxas is still quite timid, doesn’t talk much. Actually his disposition is very similar to how you were in your first days here.”

The brunette smiled, that now seemed so long ago. “Even so.” Marluxia continued. “His power, it is incredible. Once he has fully grasped it, imagine what a marvel he will be.”

“I still don’t know much about Keyblades.” Alixka replied. “Only that they can unlock hearts, and now we finally have on in the Organization. Kingdom Hearts can actually be completed now.”

“They can do far more than that, Rosebud.”

“They can?”

“Yes.” Marluxia stopped stroking her hair for a moment and looked quite serious. “You will understand in due course. The Keyblade is not just a key of destiny. It may also be a key to truth.”

~~~

Two days later, for the first time in many months, Alixka was not sent out early that day. So she decided that this would be as good a time as ever to continue going through _Miscellaneous Findings From the Capital of Light_.

When she pulled the book from the shelf she noticed at once that the picture of the woman and child was no longer there. She found it odd but stranger still was that there were several pages missing from the book. Those that were left were written in a script that she did not understand, but she knew someone who probably could. 

Even if they were technically not on good terms at the moment, Alixka liked to think that if she really needed a favor, Zexion would give it. Unfortunately as she left the library she was stopped by Larxene.

“Good morning, Rosebud!” The blonde gave her a teasing smile. Alixka frowned.

“You know only Marluxia can get away with calling me that!”

“Oh, don’t be like that, Darling!” Another nickname reserved only for Marluxia.

“What do you want, Larxene?”

“By any chance, did Saix assign you to anything this morning?”

“No, for once I have some time to myself and I’m about to to see if Zexion can translate this tome for me.”

“Can I possibly ask a small favor from you?”

“Depends, defy ‘small’.”

“The blue haired prick assigned me to teach the new kid magic but, like, your magic is so much stronger than mine. Mind taking my place?”

The brunette laughed. “Oh, you mean thrust babysitting duty on me and let you get out of your work? Is your name now Demyx?”

“Hmph! I knew you would say that.” Larxene pulled out a small pouch and emptied it’s contents into her hand. Inside were several twenty munny pieces. Aixka raised her eyebrow at her.

“It’s going to take more than a hundred and sixty munny to get me to do your work for you.”

“Fine! What do you want?”

Alixka thought for a few moments before she handed the tome to her. “Go to Zexion and ask if he would translate this. If he gives you trouble, tell him it’s a request from me. That should get him to do it.”

Larxene smiled. “That’s all? Really? Fine by me.”

“I’ll take the munny, too.”

~~~

Truthfully, Alixka was also curious about this new boy and agreed to this venture a little more easier than she normally would have. She was already waiting at the Twilight Town sandlot when Roxas finally arrived. He seemed a little more alert from the first time she saw him, though still somewhat unsure. Something about him seemed quite endearing to her. She called out his name and he approached her.

“Uh..hi. You’re..Larxene?”

The brunette smiled, whatever Marluxia said, she still felt that the two female Nobodies were as different as night and day.

“Larxene couldn’t make it. So today I’ll be teaching you. My name is Alixka.”

“Okay, Alixka.” He smiled a little. Compared to his mentor the previous day, at least she sounded nice. “Today I’m learning magic?”

“Ah yes.” She waved her hand around and formed a small circle of fire. “It’s probably for the best that I’m teaching you today since my magic skills are second only to Zexion’s. But don’t worry, we will take this slowly until I feel like you’ve gotten the hang of it.”

As she spoke these words several flower Heartless appeared.

“Orrrrr not…” Alixka laughed a little as she summoned Stormborn and transformed it from spear to staff. Roxas looked at her with slight amazement.

“My weapon has two forms.” She explained. “Now, I’m going to take out one of these buggers using a simple spell, then I will expect you to do the same.”

“Okay!” The boy smiled a little more, confidence slowly emerging.

The brunette waved her staff at one of the Heartless and summoned a fireball that destroyed it. When it was Roxas’s turn he summoned a fireball not nearly as strong and it took him a few tries before he finally destroyed the rest. Next they tried a blizzard spell followed by a thunder spell. These were slightly more successful and Alixka realized at once that he was a quick learner.

“Some Heartless are immune to certain types of magic.” She explained. “You’ll have to use the magic that they are weak to in order to defeat them.”

A few more Heartless appeared, this time Alixka allowed Stormborn to vanish. “This bunch is all on you. Go on, if it gets too difficult you can use your Keyblade. I don’t mind.”

Roxas took out the heartless with ease, only depending on his Keyblade to destroy the last two or three. When he did, Alixka noticed the captive hearts releasing from the creatures and floating into the sky. She had never seen this before in all the countless times she had taken down Heartless. 

Now she was beginning to understand the Keyblade’s power.

“We are done for the day.” She smiled at him. A sudden image flashed in her mind of someone else teaching her how to use ice magic. Most likely another memory. “The one thing I forgot to mention were healing items but those are kind of self explanatory. Casting Cure works more or less the same way as other forms of magic. Do you have any questions?”

The boy shook his head. But Alixka noticed that he seemed a slightly less glum as they returned to the castle. She liked to think that she had a hand in this. Perhaps it was for the best that Larxene thrusted babysitting duty onto her after all.

~~~

Zexion was in the library when Alixka returned. She was relieved to see that he was reading the book and apparently making notes with translations. This was their first time alone since their mission and though she did feel a little awkward, she hoped that maybe they could put that behind them. 

“Good afternoon, Zexion.” She began. “I’m guessing Larxene gave you my message. Thanks again.”

But The Cloaked Schemer only continued with his work, not even bothering to look at her.

“I’m doing this only as an exercise for my mind. Not for you.”

So much for reconciliation, apparently not. His word stung but she refused to let him visibly see that. She made a face.

“Please don’t be like that. I actually really appreciate that you're doing this.”

“So much so that you had the shrew pass on your request instead of asking me yourself?”

Is that what this was about? Alixka made another face at him.

“I’m sorry, Larxene needed me to fill in for her with Roxas so I asked her to give it to you while I was gone.”

“And now you two are swapping missions?” Zexion turned to face her with a look of annoyance. “What would happen if I were to tell Saix…”

“No! Please don’t tell him!” She pleaded. “I already skipped one mission a few months ago…”

“To be with Marluxia...”

“No! Because Vexen said I could! I did not…” The light blush on her face betrayed the brunette. Zexion glared at her.

“I won’t tell Saix.” He said. “And I’ll be done with this translation soon, you should know that several pages are missing anyway. Just go.”

“Zexion…”

“Go.”

Alixka let out a small sigh as she turned to leave, she knew there would be no understanding with him, at least not right now.

~~~

She found the book resting on her bed a few days later along with the translation notes. Zexion must have delivered it when she had been out that day. Alixka was still upset about how he had spoken to her but she felt that it could wait for the time being. She sat on her bed and began going through the notes. At once she got the impression that whoever wrote the original illiterate text had likely visited Radiant Garden and made an account of what he had seen there.

 

_...I’ve recently been named Master. I may be a king but I don’t believe I deserve the title, not after what’s happened. So I’ve been searching for answers. This was second visit to this world but my first time meeting it’s benevolent ruler, Ansem The Wise. We spoke for a long time on various subjects and I became acquainted with some of his apprentices. Among the residents of his castle was a young girl. Though older than the girl I encountered on my first visit here a few years ago, she shares a lot of similarities with her…_

Alixka found this interesting. Could she be the girl the writer had mentioned? And who was the other one? She read on, this next section written some time later.

_...When I visited the castle this time, I noticed that the girl was no longer there. I didn’t give much thought to it though since my mind was on other things at the time. Ansem and I, both being kings of our worlds, are both concerned about their stability as well as the stability of the rest of the worlds. The Heartless are growing in number and I’ve begun to notice the stars blinking out in the sky one by one. Something must be done soon. While we spoke one of his apprentices entered the room, asking about one of his experiments. Ansem demanded that he forget his thoughts of ‘the door to all worlds’. He seemed to comply but, I don’t know. Something in me tells me that Xehanort will not obey his master’s commands..._

Where had Alixka heard the name Xehanort before? She was sure she had but she could not think of it. This was the last entry in the strange text and unfortunately Alixka felt as though she was no closer to finding the answers she sought than when she began. If only she could find those missing pages. And that picture…

To take her mind off of her frustration she decided to take a walk around the castle, most of the members were still out on missions so she decided to go to The Grey Area. As Alixka made her way there she noticed Lexaeus passing her by, she gave him a smile but he did not acknowledge her at all. Not even shift his glance to her. She felt the same sting in her stomach as she did when Zexion had rebuked her. 

If only they would actually explain to her why they disapproved of Marluxia.

Alixka entered The Grey Area to find only Roxas there. He was slumped forward on one of the couches and appeared to be in pain, she sat next to him with a smile.

“Is something wrong, Roxas?” She asked.

The boy looked up at her, doing his best to conceal the agony he was in to no avail.

“I...I’m fine. It’s just…” Grabbing his leg and groaning. “I had a mission with Lexaeus today. He taught me how to use my limit break in a very...interesting way…” Roxas couldn’t help but laugh a little despite his pain.

The brunette knew at once what he meant and how Lexaeus had taught him. She laughed.

“Ah, some ‘practical application’ I see.”

“Yeah…”

“Well what better way were you going to learn?”

“I guess…”

She laughed a little more before circling her hand around the boy, casting a cure spell. Immediately his pain vanished and he stood to his feet, now it was his turn to smile.

“Thanks, Alixka.” Roxas said. “I feel a lot better now.”

“I’m glad.” The brunette smiled. “Just try to remember to cure yourself when you need to and not let your injuries fester. Now tell me, did Lexaeus teach you anything else ‘practical’?”

The boy gave a little laugh before sitting back down.

“He said that my Keyblade is valuable to the Organization and that there deeds to be done that only I can do. I don’t know, I don’t feel like I’m that valuable.”

Alixka hesitated before she spoke, honestly she was beginning to not feel so valuable herself.

“All of us are valuable in our own ways, Roxas.” She began. “But a Keyblade Wielder, has special value. In time you will understand.”

“To complete Kingdom Hearts.” He replied. “That’s my value, but what about the rest of you? What was the Organization before I arrived?”

“Roxas…” She hesitated again. “It’s not important now. What is important is that now you’re here and you have a great purpose to fulfil. Try not to dwell too much on the details.”

The boy sighed. He had hoped that by this point he would have more of an understanding of his place but still he could not help but have more questions than answers. At least this person was helping him understand some of them.

“Alixka...what do you think your purpose is?”

Roxas could not have picked a worse question to ask her at that moment, but how would he have known? Her mind swirled with thoughts that she had done a good job of ignoring until they were brought up to her once again.

What was her purpose? Really? For the last year she had obeyed the orders of the Organization without question or much thought. She had slain countless Heartless but she understood now that it all amounted to nothing. And lately, she had even begun to question if she really could have the ability to feel. Marluxia had mentioned that the keyblade could also be a key to truth, was the truth that this was all for nothing after all?

But before she could answer the boy she heard the footsteps of someone else entering the room. It was Marluxia.

“Ah, I see you’re getting acquainted with our Key of Destiny.”

Roxas looked slightly uncomfortable at the sound of his title, Alixka smiled at the boy and then at her lover.

“Roxas and I were just discussing our purposes in the Organization. I was telling him that his is very valuable to us.”

“Yes.” The pink haired Nobody agreed as he approached the blonde boy with a kind but knowing smile. “You possess great power, Roxas. Unlike any other in this Organization. We are counting on you.”

Roxas shifted nervously, unsure how to respond. But Marluxia turned to Alixka.

“Alixka, our presence is requested at The Addled Impasse.”

Her interest was piqued. “The Addled Impasse? Normally none of us are allowed there.”

“Indeed.” Marluxia tilted his head in curiosity. “But Saix summoned us there. Larxene and Zexion too as well as Axel.”

“Interesting, well if that’s the case we best not keep him waiting.” Alixka rose to her feet and gave Roxas one last smile. “We’ll talk more later. Go rest now.”

“Before you go, Alixka…” The boy looked up at her shyly, one again unsure of what to say. The brunette gazed at him.

“Yes?”

“Just...I like you...don’t ever change.”

Alixka felt the warmth rise in her chest, she smiled at him.

“See you soon, Roxas.”

~~~

The warmth she felt as she left The Grey Area immediately vanished the moment she and her lover arrived to the Addled Impasse. Alixka could feel the cold eyes of Zexion, Lexaeus and Vexen on her as she stood silently with Marluxia and Larxene on the other side of the room, Axel standing in the center as Saix spoke.

“In ten days, you seven will go to the Organization's second headquarters, Castle Oblivion.” He said. “A new kind of Nobody has emerged there. She is a Nobody unlike any other with unique powers over memories. Lord Xemnas needs to know more about her.”

The brunette was intrigued. A Nobody with powers over memories. Certainly no one in the Organization had such abilities. She continued to listen.

“This mission will take several weeks. And so Lord Xemnas has also determined that control over the unique Nobody as well as all happenings within Castle Oblivion shall be entrusted exclusively to Marluxia.”

She could hear the faint sound of disgust coming from Vexen’s lips and she could not help but flick her eyes up at Marluxia, there was a carefully concealed look of satisfaction flashing in his eyes that she was certain only she could see. Almost as if he had already been informed of this. Almost as if he had been expecting this. Saix continued.

“Marluxia, preside over Castle Oblivion as you will but do not forget that your first and foremost duty is to this Organization.”

The neophyte nodded but could not conceal the small smirk that was rising on his face. Alixka knew him well, he had his own plans in regards to being the Lord of Castle Oblivion. What those plans were, she did not yet know.

~~~


	15. Key of Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The announcement that Marluxia will be Lord of Castle Oblivion brings varied reactions from the other members. And though Alixka does not know it yet, she's in for one wild ride when she agrees to join him in the unimaginable.

~~~

Saix had little to say after this revelation. Once they had been told all the particulars about Castle Oblivion, they were permitted to leave and continue on with the rest of the day. Alixka had intended to return to her room but Saix informed her that he had work for her and Zexion that would take them back to Twilight Town. 

She liked this idea, hoping that maybe, finally, they could have some time to talk about why there had been an invisible barrier between them for the last ten months. Unfortunately he dashed her hopes by insisting he had work in the lab that could not be delayed. Alixka was upset by this but not as much as Saix at being openly defied.

“What I said was not a suggestion.” he said irritably. “But an order!”

“An order from whom?” Zexion asked rather casually. “From you or Lord Xemnas? Because if it’s an order from the latter than or course I shall go. But last I checked you were NOT Lord Xemnas and I have work I'm sure he wants me to attend to. Well?”

Saix did not respond, too shocked at the younger man’s insolence as he felt it to be. He was getting a little too bold for his liking but there was little he could do about it, yet. Zexion went on.

“That’s what I thought. I’m sure Alixka is more than capable of whatever you need on her own. And if not,” turning to the brunette with thinly veiled contempt. “I’m sure you can get Marluxia to go with her.”

Alixka bit down hard on her lip, hard enough to taste blood. She was trying her best not to become offended by his recent callousness but she found that task more and more difficult everytime he spoke. She would get to the bottom this soon though, just not now. 

“There’s no need for Marluxia. Or Zexion if that’s his inclination.” she said. “Tell me what is needed of me.”

“Hmph.” Saix gave a slight smirk as The Cloaked Schemer left the room, not bothering to take note of the rather malicious look in the Luna Diviner’s eye as he responded to Alixka. “At least one of you still knows their place.”

~~~

“How DARE Xemnas put HIM in charge of Castle Oblivion?!”

Vexen angrily paced the floors of the basement lab as Xaldin, Lexaeus and Zexion watched him, waiting for him to cool down so they could continue their discussion. But the scientist showed no sign of stopping his tirade.

“Of all the members assigned I am the one with the most seniority! Hell if we wanted to be technical, Alixka should oversee this mission. Just anyone BUT Marluxia!”

“Speaking of Alixka.” Xaldin finally cut in. “I’m glad you’ve brought her up, I...don’t feel right about her being included in this mission.”

Vexen paused his angry pacing for a moment and glanced at the lancer.

“Why?”

“Well, I just don’t like the idea of her being away from the rest of the Organization for so long. And then...there’s Marluxia.”

“Damn neophyte!” Vexen grumbled. Xaldin pretended not to hear him and continued.

“I can’t help but notice how...close they have become over the past months. It doesn’t sit well with me. The way he looks at her is...unsettling to say the least.”

“How he looks at her is the least of your problems!” Zexion mumbled under his breath, purposely low enough for none of them to hear. Vexen shook his hands in annoyance.

“Xemnas should have put me in charge! This is absurd!”

“I...want to speak to Saix about this…If it can be helped, I don’t want Alixka going to Castle Oblivion.”

“You can’t.” Zexion sighed. “No matter how we may hate it, this was still an order from our Superior. What we can do is limited.”

Xaldin also sighed. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he knew the younger man was correct. Alixka would have to go to Castle Oblivion and she would be under Marluxia’s control. Vexen made another huff.

“What does it matter anyway if Alixka goes to Castle Oblivion? We will all be there as well. What harm could really come to her there?”

Xaldin hesitated, he and Lexaeus briefly locked glances. The Silent Hero gave a small nod. He understood. He was the only one among them who did.

“We will watch over her, Xaldin.” He said. “Come what may, we will protect Alixka, just as we always have done. But she is strong. You need not worry.”

A small but sad smile rose on the face of The Whirlwind Lancer. He was remembering days long gone when he and his friend kept watch over a young girl from a noble family.

“Please do. That is all I ask.” As he turned to leave, Vexen spoke up again.

“You know, Alixka and I were on a recon mission some months ago. It was in Traverse Town, apparently that is where the separation of her heart and body occurred. She’s also beginning to remember more things as well. It will only a matter of time…”

“Thank you, No. IV, I think I understand.” Xaldin cut him off. “I will speak to her before you all depart. Please do not forget my request.”

He made his way back to the upper levels of the castle, trying his best to not worry too much. It would do no good anyway. He only had to believe that his comrades would heed his request and Alixka would return from Castle Oblivion unscathed. Lexaeus’ words returned to his ears: She is strong.

Yes, he thought. Alixka was strong. Like her father.

~~~

It was rare these days for Larxene for catch Marluxia alone and with Alixka currently out, she decided to take advantage. The only time they had spent together recently usually had to do with missions, missions and something else as well. His relationship with the brunette had had no effect on his with the blonde and now that the girls were getting along better, it seemed only natural for The Savage Nymph to ask again about something she had been secretly wanting for a while now.

“What is this?” Marluxia pretended to gape at the request, even though deep down he always knew this moment would one day come. After a brief moment of feigned surprise, he smirked at Larxene. “And what about all the times you insisted to me that you never thought about Alixka like that? What about all the times you said…”

“Forget what I said!” she snapped, even though she herself remembered very well. “That was then this is now! You’ve had her all to yourself this last year and now I would like to have some fun with her!”

“And all this time you had every opportunity to make your move, why now?”

“Shut up! I didn’t…” a rare heat rose in her face as she tried to regain her nonchalant expression. “I didn’t want to seem like I was intruding on what you had made with her! You seem to like her and it took nearly half a year for her to come around and I didn’t want to fuck that up!”

There was honestly more to it than this and Marluxia could see that, even if he did not know exactly what it was. But he amused nevertheless if not a bit curious. Marluxia had seen how close Larxene and Alixka were becoming, not as close as he was to her but even that took considerable time. He enjoyed the company of both and was attracted to both as well. And with his plans for Castle Oblivion soon to take shape, perhaps it was time. 

“It’s Alixka’s decision first and foremost.” he said. “You can approach her if you wish, and I’ll talk to her. But she’s a curious one, I can’t imagine she wouldn't consent.” A new and amusing thought came to him and he sat back on his bed, laughing devilishly. “I quite like the idea, don’t you? The three of us together in a treacherous ménage à trios? Both of you at my side as I take my place as the new Superior?”

“Ohhhh?” Larxene plopped on his bed beside him, eyebrow raised with curiosity. “So you’ve told Ali of our plans?”

“Not yet, but soon. Most likely right before we all depart. It may come as a shock to her and considering...her attachment to the senior members, I don’t want to risk information of our plans to fall in the wrong hands. Not until we’re in Castle Oblivion.”

“Hmmm, with that in mind, don’t you think it would just be better to keep her in the dark until everything’s fallen into place?” 

“Come now, Larxene.” he smiled. “I did consider that but truthfully, I know Alixka can be trusted. If for any reason because I have something that she wants.”

“Hmph!” Larxene smirked. “You sure are putting a lot of importance on the power of how good you can fuck her!” he laughed at this.

“Oh please! That was NOT what I meant. While it is true, I was more so talking about this here…” with this, Marluxia reached under his bed and pulled out a small box. Opening it, he revealed several pages that had been torn out of a book. “These documents were a part of a larger book I found some time ago. They have information about Alixka’s home, her true home, before this life. And there are even a few writings about Alixka herself. The person she used to be.”

Larxene flipped through the pages rather casually, not really paying attention to them as she was what her friend was saying. 

“You...once told me you suspected that she and Xaldin may have been related. Do you still think that?” Marluxia did not respond to this but he didn’t have to. “Are you sure you wanna involve her in this? I don’t care either way but if she does have some connection to him, and the others, what makes you think…”

“And that is exactly why I sought these papers out. Why I’m showing them to you.”

Marluxia silenced her by raising his hand with a little smile. He took the pages from the blonde and continued flipping them to the end, revealing the portrait of the woman and child. They both stared at it for a few moments, thinking more or less the exact same thing. 

“She will not betray us.” he said. “Not just because I’m holding insight to her past and not just because of the intimacy we share. It is because she has something from her past to hold on to. You and I are not so fortunate and yet, we have each other. For the longest time I’ve suspected it, that there is more to this existence that Xemnas will not reveal to us. Alixka feels it and I know you do too.”

Larxene said nothing, only continuing to listen.

“Now that we have one of the Keyblade's chosen among our ranks, I now understand. The things that can be done with that power.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen it too.” she murmured. “And I don’t know why, but something about seeing a keyblade felt so strange to me, familiar I’d say. If I didn’t know better.”

“Xemnas is hiding something from us.” he went on. “I know it. And what that is, I will find out. The senior members, they care only about their posturing over us, so much so that they can’t see that they’re also being played for fools. But I will not be a fool, we will not be fools. The Keyblade’s power, the Key to Truth. With that Key, and with you and Alixka at my side, I will unlock the truth, be a true Superior, and reveal the truth of our existence.”

Larxene bit back a small yawn, she was never one for when Marluxia went off on these mini orations as he was often want to do. But she now understood, at this point, she, Marluxia and Alixka were all connected. Connected in their questions about their existence, connected in their recent frustrations, and now, connected in what held them together. 

And the more she thought about it, the more she was looking forward to Castle Oblivion. As if she wasn’t already. 

“Who says desire and treachery don’t go well together?” she smirked. “This is going to be fun! Won’t it?”

“Oh yes.” he returned her smirk and pulled her into a possessive embrace. “And all the more fun when I have Xemnas completely at my mercy.” A soft chuckle ghosted across her ear as he pressed his lips softly against it’s curve. “As I’ll soon have you both at my mercy, Darling.”

“Fuck that!” she giggled and pushed him away, pinning him down on the bed and smiling down at him with playful malice. “You’ve forgotten that you may be able to pull that with Ali, but not with me!”

~~~

Xaldin was reminded of just how strong his child was when they were paired together on a mission a few days later. The Whirlwind Lancer could hardly believe that the shy little girl he had protected so many years ago had grown into this fearless young lady. Even compared to how she was when he first brought her into the Organization it was like comparing night and day. 

He stood back and watched with pride as Alixka took out some plant heartless before using her limit to destroy several wyvern's hovering above, and not once did he see her become winded. And after so long of her bowers being  unstable after she first arrived, now she commanded her abilities with ease and he couldn't help but be proud. 

“You almost don’t even need me here with you, child.” Xaldin remarked with a smirk.

“True.” Alixka agreed. “But where’s the fun in…”

A wyvern that she had not noticed swooped in from behind her but she struck it down at the last moment. She noticed how the creature disappeared in a puff of darkness but no heart was released.

“Xaldin, why are we still defeating Heartless ourselves if we can’t collect the hearts?”

“What? Would you leave all the work to the boy?” He laughed. “Keyblade or not, the Heartless are still a menace to the inhabitants of these worlds. I’d say we are doing them a favor by eliminating them regardless.”

Alixka had never thought of it that way. If that was the case, then perhaps she still had purpose after all. She took a seat at a bench nearby with Xaldin following her. Sitting next to him, she could not help but think that she sat with him once like this before. A long time ago.

“How did I end up in The World That Never Was?” She asked. “After the Heartless attacked me.”

“Well, Nobodies show up in places between the realms of light and dark.” He replied. “I was the one who found you.”

She glanced up at him. “You were the one who brought me into the Organization?”

“Yes, child. The Dusks were doing recon in the city and informed us of your emergence. I found you unconscious and brought you back to the castle. Usually when one loses their heart, it takes many hours or days before they reawaken but you…” With a small smile. “You were awake in less than an hour.”

“Why did I awaken so soon?”

Xaldin’s smile widened and he placed an arm around her.

“Because you are a fighting spirit, Alixka.”

Alixka returned his smile. From the moment she had regained consciousness, after that first horrible nightmare, she had been determined to be strong and fight for her chance to become whole again. She was happy that Xaldin could see that.

“I’m going to be going away soon.” She said. “I’m sure you know.”

“I do. To Castle Oblivion.”

“I wish you were going too, Xaldin.”

The lancer was betrayed into a look of surprise. He did not understand the warmth he was feeling but he smiled all the same.

“You won’t be gone for too long.” He replied. “Continue being a fighting spirit even while there. Understood?”

“From the sound of it, it doesn’t seem like I’ll be doing any fighting.”

“I don’t just mean combat, child.” Xaldin watched as her eyes flicked up towards his. “You must also fight for what you believe is right, for the Organization and for you. But most importantly, for you.”

Alixka did not understand what he meant. But she nodded anyway. Xaldin always seemed to know what he was talking about and his advice did sound useful.

“As always, your advice is valued, Xaldin.” She smiled a little and stood from the bench to leave. “You know, it’s funny. The Organization really isn’t what one would call a family. But…” Turning back to face him. “I’ve always sort of seen you as a father figure. I hope you don’t mind that.”

Were Nobodies truly incapable of emotions? Were they really? Xaldin asked himself that very question as he gazed at Alixka in silence. How funny she would say such a thing, he thought to himself. Considering that she had said something very similar a long time ago. How things had changed for both of them. He smiled.

“Whatever you are comfortable with, Alixka. I don’t mind one bit.”

~~~

Preparations to depart for Castle Oblivion did not take long at all. Many of the arrangements had already been made in advanced. The castle had been under the Organization’s control for quite some time but this would be the first time the facility would be utilized in this way in more than a year. Memories had been a major focus of research in the very early days of the Organization which was why this mysterious new Nobody held such fascination for Lord Xemnas. 

It was decided that Vexen would oversee all new research and report his findings to Marluxia who would in turn report them to Xemnas. There was another new research project that Vexen was also overseeing that much was not known about but that it involved that odd fourteenth member.

“Lord of Castle Oblivion. This will be quite interesting.”

It was now the night before their departure. Marluxia was speaking about his new role but Alixka hardly heard what he was saying as she flipped through _Miscellaneous Findings from The Capital of Light_ The remaining translations did not give her much more useful information and she was beginning to wonder if she had once again hit a dead end. If only she could find the rest of this damn book!

“Alixka, are you listening?”

She shook herself away from her thoughts as she glanced down at her lover, stretched out topless on her bed, and closed her book.

“I’m sorry.” She said. “I heard some of what you said, but not all of it.”

“What could possibly have your attention so intensely, Rosebud?”

The brunette opened the book and took out one of the translated pages, handing it to Marluxia.

“This book has reports about my home. I’ve been reading over them but there are several pages missing.”

“How do you know they’re missing?” 

“I know because I first came across this book a few months ago. I didn’t have much time to look through it but I remember things that were there that aren’t anymore. Also…” She closed her eyes and recalled the picture. “In the back of the book there was a small portrait of a woman and a child. That was also missing when I finally brought the book to my room.”

Marluxia turned away from her briefly, his mind in such deep thought that he feared his face might betray him. 

“That is very odd indeed.” He said. “Perhaps once we return, we can look for the missing pages.”

“I don’t have much hope of finding them.” Alixka let out a small sigh. “There are so many secrets in this organization. I would not be surprised if someone took the pages out of the book cause there is stuff in them that they don’t want known. Probably Saix. Or even Xigbar maybe.”

He gave her an encouraging smile. “Soon those two won’t matter anymore.”

“Yes.” She returned his smile. “I’m glad I’m going with you to Castle Oblivion.”

“That’s not what I meant.” He gave her a look that she found hard to read.

“What do you mean?”

Marluxia gave her another odd look before walking towards the door, he opened it slightly to see if anyone was around. When he saw no one, he closed it again and went back to Alixka. He pressed his body to her’s and spoke in such a low tone that Alixka almost had to strain to hear him.

“What I’m about to tell you,” He began. “You must swear to not let leave your lips for nothing, not even for the mercy of an Ethereal Blade. Understood, Alixka.”

His seriousness strangely frightened her, but she nodded nonetheless. It was time that she know. 

“The fact that I’m even telling you this much is a testament to my deep trust in you.” He smiled briefly. “And the affection I hold for you. Larxene is the only other person who knows this.”

“Knows what? You’re scaring me, Marluxia…”

Marluxia gently cupped her cheek and smiled at her again.

“There is nothing to fear, Rosebud.” He whispered softly. “But soon I will not only be the lord of Castle Oblivion. I will also be the lord of this Organization.”

It took everything in Alixka not to jump up or scream out at his words. She stared at him dumbfounded. There was no way in hell that Xemnas would ever relinquish control and the other members would never stand for such a thing, especially Vexen. That only meant one thing, and if she had a heart, it would strike terror into it.

“Marluxia…” She murmured. “What you speak is treason…”

At this he only chuckled and began to caress her hair.

“I know you're confused. Maybe even a little afraid…”

MORE THAN A LITTLE!

“But trust me, my dear Alixka, you will understand everything soon. When we arrive at Castle Oblivion, the pieces will all fall into place and I will tell you all.”

Alixka only sat there, frozen in her bewilderment. Despite her confusion she resolved at once to not tell anyone what Marluxia had just confessed to her. It would be the end of him and maybe even her.

After several long moments Marluxia took her into his arms and covered her face with kisses. He could sense her apprehension and decided that after dropping such a truth bomb onto her, seducing her would not be the best course of action. Instead he continued to hold onto her, kissing her and doing his best to comfort her. 

She did not know how she was able to sleep at all that night, she lay awake in his arms for a long time, feeling his caresses and contemplating his words before she finally felt her eyes grow heavy and sleep take her body over. Even then she got very little rest, all her mind could focus on were Marluxia’s words and what they meant. And what would come for them when they arrived at the mysterious new castle. 

~~~

White. Eye piercing, headache inducing, white. That was the first thought that went through Alixka’s mind as she stood looking around the empty hallway. That was her first impression of Castle Oblivion. While the interior was far more ornate compared to the Organization's main headquarters, somehow it seemed more hollow. She didn’t know how she would get used to it.

“Don’t wander off, child.” Vexen called out to her as she walked ahead of them. “Not until we’ve determined where we will be stationed here.”

“I have already made that decision.” Marluxia spoke up and addressed the six members now under is rule.

“There are thirteen floors to this castle and twelve basements.” He began. “I will have control of all floors and you three,” pointing at Vexen, Lexaeus and Zexion. “Will take the basement levels. The upper levels will be taken by myself.”

Another sound of disgust could be heard from Vexen’s lips, this one not as well concealed. “Why must you have the upper floors all to yourself while we hide like rats in the basements?”

“Not like rats.” Marluxia smirked. “Your lab is in the basement of our main headquarters. I figured you would prefer your lodgings to be as similar to there as possible. I’m doing you a favor.”

 _Like hell you are!_ Zexion could not conceal his contempt for The Graceful Assassin. This had nothing to do with their comfort and he knew it, this was a show of power. He glanced over at Lexaeus who seemed to know at once what was going through his mind. The promise they had made to Xaldin.

“May I ask,” He began. “What about Alixka?”

Alixka dropped her head in nervousness, but not before stealing a quick glance at her pink haired lover. The smirk on his face grew slightly wider and she knew exactly where her place would be.

“Alixka will join me on the upper levels, along with Axel and Larxene.”

Now none of the senior members bothered to hide their contempt. Still with her head down, Alixka could feel their angry faces. She should have been glad to occupy a place so close to The Lord of the Castle. But a knot developed in her stomach instead.

~~~

“Of course, Marluxia get’s the largest room in the castle!” Larxene laughed as she and Alixka inspected a bedroom that he had told her to go to. Even with the stark white decor, it was beautiful with a large canopy bed in the corner treated lavishly with white lace and curtains that felt like silk. Alixka smiled.

“This is my room Larxene.” She said.

The Savage Nymph raised her eyebrow at her. Sometimes the coyness of The Maiden of Tempests was amusing but other times it was ridiculous.

“Don’t act dumb, Ali! It’s obvious that you two will be sharing this room!”

Alixka blushed as she realized the truth in her words. The blonde continued.

“After all, Marluxia is Lord of the Castle. And if he is Lord of the Castle, then obviously you will be his lady.”

“ME??” The blush on her face grew darker. “Me? Lady of Castle Oblivion?”

Larxene giggled. “I'd think you’d enjoy that. I imagine the ruler of this castle will be especially kind to you.” She ran a slow and teasing finger up and down the brunette’s arm that she could not decide if she liked or not. Her violet eyes flashed with confused annoyance.

“Speaking of which, where is he? I don’t think I’ve seen him at all since we first arrived here and that was a few hours ago.”

“He’s with Axel, attending to our little memory Nobody.” The blonde replied. “Wait until you see her. If you and Marluxia are lord and lady of this castle then this little one is definitely a princess. A princess and a witch at the same time.”

~~~

She did not see Marluxia at all for the rest of that day, or the next day for that matter. But she did not expect to either way since he was likely busy seeing to the operations in the castle. And inspecting the mysterious Nobody of memories.

So Alixka spent her time reading and writing in her journal and slept alone in the beautiful white bed. Though even as she tried to keep herself distracted, her mind was still aswarm with thoughts and fears. What was Marluxia planning? Despite the soft comfiness of her bed, she found once again that sleep would not come easily those first two nights.

On top of that she could not help but feel slight anxiety at the senior members being shut up in the basements while she occupied the very top floor. If anyone deserves to be here it was them. She wanted nothing more than to just talk to them, not to tell them what Marluxia had told her of course, but at least come to some sort of understanding. They had been so helpful to her in her first days being in the Organization that she felt like she owed them alot. Their animosity towards her now bothered her in some ways more than the uncertainty of this new mission.

The next morning Alixka awoke to find her bed covered in rose petals. She blushed, knowing well where they came from. Next to her sat a small note written in the hand of her lover.

 

_Forgive me for not coming to see you sooner, Rosebud._

_Please find something to occupy yourself with for about an hour today and leave our room._

_I have a surprise for you._

 

A surprise? How interesting. In any case Alixka had decided that she would visit the basement trio that morning so this note now only made her plans seem more valid in her mind. And at this point her anxieties were beginning to calm themselves and she looked forward to whatever Marluxia was planning for her. With a new sense of confidence she dressed and made her way to the bottom levels of the castle.

~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last clean chapter for a while, well that didn't last long. XD


	16. Lady of the Castle (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being so close to the Lord of the Castle has some disadvantages, but it also has its perks as well. Mostly perks...oh look! Namine enters the story here....I swear there is plot in this chapter. Please believe me!

~~~

The rooms were dark, just like the basements back home. Never had Alixka imagined that she would ever consider The Castle that Never Was to be anything resembling “home”. She thought she heard the sound of soft murmurs at a set of ornate double doors and softly knocked on them.

“Who’s there?” Zexion’s voice called out.

“Alixka.” She replied. “I’ve come to talk to you three.”

There was a long pause, she thought she heard Zexion speaking in annoyance and Vexen chiding him. The scientist called for her to enter. At once she could feel their cold eyes upon her. Maybe this was not the best idea after all. 

“When I first entered this Organization, you three, along with Xaldin, were instrumental in my becoming stronger. Instrumental in me becoming a useful member. I don’t know if Nobodies can truly form bonds considering our lack of emotions but…” She was unsure she believed that statement but continued. “I considered you my companions. And now, to you I am a pariah.”

Lexaeus sighed and Zexion’s hard expression softened slightly. They recalled the night that Vexen had rushed to them frantically, telling them of her arrival. They were also recalling things far beyond that time as well. How could they have let Marluxia drive a wedge between them like this?

“Alixka…” Lexaeus began. “We will always value your place in this Organization. But…” Closing his eyes in thought. “Your actions these past months leave us a little more than concerned.”

“What actions?”

“Oh, don’t you dare play dumb!” Zexion snapped, his anger returning. “We’re talking about Marluxia! You don’t think we see how he looks at you?! Everyone does! There are no secrets in this Organization!”

“Apparently there are many.” She replied dryly. “I didn’t even know about this castle…”

“Don’t change the subject!” He interrupted her. “We all know he fancies you. We all know that he’s probably…” The slate haired Nobody gritted his teeth and turned away from her in disgust. “We are angry with you because we know you're better than that! Why do you insist on being his whore?!”

"EXCUSE YOU?!"

“Enough, Zexion!” Vexen shouted. Alixka glared at them.

“What I do is none of your business!”

“Of course it isn’t.” Zexion continued coldly. “You will do what you want. As always.”

“If you would only tell me WHY you don’t like him then perhaps…”

But he would not listen anymore, he stormed away in a huff. Leaving only The Chilly Academic and Silent Hero to do their best to explain things to her. The Academic gave a huff as well.

“Hormonal imbalance no doubt. Even Zexion is not immune to it.” He then turned to Alixka with a sigh. “You already know my disapproval for the neophyte so I won’t bother repeating myself.”

“But I arrived here after Marluxia AND Larxene!” Alixka replied irritably. “Only Roxas and Xion are beneath me really…”

“THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEAN!”

“We only want what’s best for you, Alixka.” Lexaeus jumped in. “Marluxia, he may be charming and treat you well but there are ugly ulterior motives masked behind that pretty face of his.”

Still nothing. Alixka may have been willing to hear them out but now she was angry. If they could not actually articulate in words their animosity toward her pink haired lover, she could only surmise that they could not be based on anything real. Even considering Marluxia’s words to her a few days ago, the fact was they had disliked him well before then. And if they could not tell her why, she would not stay a moment longer to face their judgement of him. And of her.

“I appreciate your concern. Don’t think for a moment that I don’t.” She said. “But when you first explained to me my purpose in the Organization, I promised myself that I would never again be made defenseless. I may not understand why you guys don’t like Marluxia but know that I will be fine. Xaldin says I’m a fighting spirit. I will fight if I need to.”

Lexaeus could not help but regard her with a small smile. “Take care of yourself up there. And remember you may come here whenever you need anything or simply want to get away from those up top. Ignore Zexion. We will not reject you.”

The anger began to vanish from her face. His regard was comforting, even if it was unnecessary. She turned to leave.

“You may want to escape them for no other reason that things are becoming quite interesting down here.” Vexen chuckled. “The result of my most recent experiment will soon be ready. You are the only one among them who has any appreciation for my scientific proficiency.”

Alixka emerged on the tenth floor, that had gone better than she had thought but Zexion’s anger still bothered her and at this point she was done trying to understand why. For that reason alone resolved that she would not return to the basement any longer unless Marluxia asked it of her directly. 

She made her way down the halls before being stopped by Larxene, who was visibly excited about something.

“Finally I’ve found you!”

“No, I’ve been here all this time.” The brunette chuckled. “What’s up?”

“There’s something waiting for you up in your room.” Larxene replied. “Something Marluxia thought you would appreciate. Don’t just stand there like a nitwit, let’s go see what it is!”

~~~

Alixka stared in shock at the beautiful golden harp that stood in the corner opposite of her bed, carved with little roses along the crown. The blonde grinned at her.

“Like I said, Lady of the Castle.” She winked. “Your lord really does like to spoil you.”

“Shut up!” Alixka laughed, blushing a little as she sat by the instrument.

“What other sounds can he get you to make?”

“LARXENE!!!”

The Savage Nymph shrieked with laughter, but took the hint and walked out, leaving Alixka alone with her beautiful gift. It had been months since she had sat at a harp. Since that fateful mission at Hollow Bastion.

But she had dreamed of playing one many times since then. In her memories she had many images of her playing the harp in the past and those memories always bought a warm feeling to her. Slowly, Alixka pulled off her gloves and positioned her fingers around the strings. She still had no idea how she knew how to play but it didn’t matter. As the melodies began to echo around the room, Alixka felt at peace for the first time since arriving at this ominous castle.

A soft noise stopped her playing. It was faint but very distinct, like a baby’s coo. Alixka turned around and thought that she saw a small pale head of hair peek from the doorway. She paused for a moment before resuming her song, keeping an eye on the door. The pale head of hair peeked from the door again, a little bolder than before. But still not fully revealing itself. Alixka smiled.

“I can see you!”

Her spy revealed herself. It was a girl, a young girl, dressed in white with short and soft blonde hair. Her pretty blue eyes were wide with fear. But now that she knew who was watching her, Alixka smiled again.

“Hello there.” She said. “I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”

The girl in white took a step back, trembling nervously. This lady somehow seemed different from the others. But she still wore their coat.

“Were you listening?”

She stole a quick glance at the harp before lowering her head, making the brunette giggle.

“It’s okay if you were. I don’t mind.” Alixka extended a gentle hand toward the frightened girl. “It’s rare to have an audience. Don’t be afraid, come here.”

She glanced at the harp again but did not move. Alixka continued to smile as she began to play a sweet, dreamy melody that seemed to suit the young girl perfectly. Very slowly, her fear began to disappear as she approached the brunette. The Maiden of Tempests continued her recital, her smile becoming wider as the girl knelt next to her. It was bold of her, she felt. But there was a strange warmth that resonated in her as she gazed into those kind violet eyes. As though she had once looked into them before.

No. Not her. The other one. The one that was real.

“Kalai...” She murmured as she placed a timid hand on the hem of the older girls coat.

Alixka at once ceased her playing and glanced down at the girl with interest. “What did you say?”

The blonde did not respond but kept her hand on her coat, the faintest of smiles emerged on her tiny lips.

“Where did you hear that name before?”

Again, she did not respond. But as Alixka stared at her there flashed in her mind an image of her sharing ice cream with another young girl very much like the one kneeling next to her now. 

“My name is Alixka.” She began, gently patting the soft blonde head. “What’s your name? And why did you call me…”

“So, you’ve found my surprise for you, Rosebud.”

The young girl jumped at the sound of Marluxia’s voice, quickly scurrying away like a frightened rabbit before Alixka could say another word to her. She glanced at the door even as her pink haired lover approached her and pulled her to her feet.

“Th...thank you, Marluxia. It’s beautiful. You really shouldn’t have.”

“This is my castle. I can do whatever I please.” He smiled at her. “And what pleases me is doing things to please you.”

His arms enfolded her as he kissed her quite passionately. But as he did so Alixka’s eyes shifted towards the door again to see the girl in white watching them quietly and intently. Marluxia sensed her distraction and turned his head only to see the quick image of the girl running away. Her hurried footsteps against the marble floor could be heard down the hallway.

“Such a timid one.” He remarked. “But at least she will be easy to manage. A blooming flower, ready for cultivation.”

Alixka blinked, giving him a confused look. “Who is she?”

“Doesn’t she remind you of Roxas in a way? Such incredible power hidden behind such a sweet and unassuming face.”

Now she understood. “Wait! Is she…?”

Marluxia gave her a knowing smirk and folded his arms together.

“Yes.” He replied. “That girl is our mysterious Nobody. A witch with power over memories.”

~~~

Namine was her name. A very rare and exceptional Nobody indeed, born of a Princess of Heart who was closely connected to The Hero of the Keyblade, Sora. Xemnas was in need of Sora’s light and Sora was currently making his way towards Castle Oblivion. This was all explained to her as well as the other members that evening. 

Alixka watched Namine as she sat silently in a corner, apparently not hearing as they spoke about her. About what she would do for them. She couldn’t help but feel sick, the girl seemed so small, so frail so...lonely.

Now her feelings of apprehension had returned fully by the time she returned to her splendid bedroom for the night, resting her tired body on the magnificent bed. Alixka did not know what she had expected but certainly not a child so fragile and so undeniably pure; sitting alone in the corner of a large room or otherwise sketching away in her drawing pad. Those large blue eyes spoke volumes to her despite her silence. Fear, loneliness, crying for help. It was almost too much for Alixka and she was beginning to question her purpose more than usual. Everything about this place was just so strange and elusive.

A strong and heady floral scent suddenly clouded her nose, making her sit up to see where it had come from. Even though she already knew.

“Do you like it?” Marluxia appeared before her, causing something intense but familiar to stir inside of her.“Orchid, quite a lovely scent that also works as a potent aphrodisiac.”

Alixka could feel her face heat up as she bit her lip and turned away, she didn’t want to give in just yet. Marluxia knelt down next to her, his hands resting on both her legs and looking up at her with curious blue eyes.

“You seem troubled, Rosebud.” Alixka did not respond right away, but she didn’t have to. Marluxia always seemed to know what was going on in her mind before she even did. “You’re thinking of Namine, aren’t you?”

“Nothing gets past you, does it?” She paused for a moment before continuing.“I...I guess I don’t fully understand your plans for her. It seems so cruel and she seems...so helpless.”

He smirked and twirled some of her dark hair around his finger in a way that made her blush involuntarily.

“That’s what I enjoy about you, Alixka.” He said. “I’m certain if you had a heart, it would overflow with kindness, pouring into every person you encounter.”

Alixka couldn’t determine if he was complimenting her or mocking her, but she blushed again as Marluxia continued.

“I know, it does seem cruel. But you will soon understand, my darling, that Namine may very well be the key we need to turn the tables within the Organization.”

He was speaking of his plans again! Would he now actually tell her what he was planning to do? And why did it have to involve certain treason?

“You’re right. I don’t understand.”

His hands began to move up her legs slowly.

“I know you’ve sense it too. Especially with the arrival of Roxas. Now that there is a Keyblade Wielder in the Organization I can’t shake off the feeling that our time spent under Xemnas has been all for nothing...unless…”

“Unless…?” He pulled away from her briefly, his mind full with thought of what to say next. “Unless what? Marluxia?”

Without another word he pressed his lips to hers in a fiercely passionate kiss. Such passion that Alixka felt her head spin. She gasped as she felt his tongue slip between her lips; his fingers slowly running down the side of her neck, heightening the sensations coursing through her. Just as she was beginning to enjoy herself, he pulled away. Her eyes fluttered as she caught her breath.

“You felt that didn’t you?” Marluxia asked. “I know you did. I felt it too. How can I possess no emotions and yet all I want at this moment is to completely devour you?”

Alixka blocked that last comment from her subconscious. And she tried her best to block the thought of his other words, so close to her own thoughts better left forgotten. No matter how she tried otherwise, she could not help but think that perhaps Marluxia was right.

“Our memories, our existence, our purpose, as you would call it.” He continued. “The person who calls out to me sometimes in my dreams, begging me to find them. All the knowledge Xemnas will never allow us.”

“Marluxia…”

“The Keyblade could do more than merely free hearts, it can be the key to truth.”

“Truth?”

“Yes, my darling. The truth of our existence. The truth that Xemnas will not reveal to us.”

Alixka did not respond, trying her best to give meaningful thought to his words even while she began to tremble with longing. She realized that he had begun to unzippen her coat.

“Namine is the final piece. With her, I will use Sora’s power to take over the Organization and unlock the truth of our existence.”

He made quick work removing the rest of her clothes, caressing every inch of skin revealed to him. The mixture of his words, his touch, and the intoxicating floral aroma was making Alixka melt with every passing moment. Marluxia kissed her neck playfully.

“Then I will be the Superior. And you, my darling…” Sliding a hand slowly down her body; down her neck, her stomach, before locking glances with her and slipping his hand between her legs. “You will be at my side as second-in-command.”

His hand began to move between her legs, making Alixka moan with anticipation.

“Marluxia...please…a..ah!”

A soft and seductive laugh filled her ears and she felt as he placed her hands behind her back, securing them with the vine he conjured. Her body ached with the thrill of being bound and at his mercy.

And the knowledge of what was coming.

“Is that what you desire, Rosebud?” Marluxia whispered to her as he pulled away. Alixka watched him as he began to undress himself before her. Slowly, mesmerisingly, those wicked blue eyes not leaving hers for even a moment as the clothing fell to the floor. Once fully naked, he knelt down again between her legs, using a slow and seductive finger to trace teasing little circles along her thighs. She felt her legs tremble at the sensations that were only increased when he began to toy with her while glancing up at her tilting his head with a devilish smirk.

“Do you desire to become Lady of the Castle? And serve your Lord with enduring devotion?”

He was no longer speaking of his ambitions of usurping Xemnas of course. And while Larxene had joked about this ever since their arrival, somehow it sounded more appealing to Alixka coming from the alluring lips of her pink haired captor.

Blushing, she tried to turn away but Marluxia grabbed her chin with his free hand to make her face him with a small chuckle. He held her aroused gaze for afew moments, watching her expressions as his finger slowly teased her.

“Don’t be shy, Rosebud. Your lord will always give you what you desire.” He placed a tender kiss on each of her cheeks, locks of his gorgeous pink hair tickled as they brushed against her bare skin, making her shiver. “But you must tell me.” Gently nibbling at her earlobe. “What do you desire?”

Alixka whimpered as her body arched into Marluxia’s, yearning for more. “I...I am yours.” She murmured “I desire to be yours. Please!”

Her last word was pitched with a high moan as she felt him grab her hips and grind them slowly against his own; his cock brushing against her slick, heated entrance. Another soft, playful chuckle vibrated in her ear and made her whimper once more.

“Mmmmm. That is exactly what I wanted to hear.”

His mouth captured hers again in a deep, hungry kiss, running his fingers up and down her yielding body; slowly, sensuously, deliberately. One spot he touched caused a particularly loud cry to escape her lips, clearly a ticklish spot and he brushed his fingers against her again for the sheer pleasure of hearing her cries again. Marluxia loved seeing Alixka like this, so eager and inflamed under his touch.

“You make the most beautiful sounds, Rosebud.” He whispered in her ear before running his hot tongue down her neck; making her squirm. “Sooooo beautiful, how badly you need me…”

Alixka closed her eyes as she felt his tongue continuing to move down her body, stopping right at the peak of one of her breasts. She tried to arch her body to his lips without success.

“Ma...Marluxia…”

“Yes, Alixka?” Making his voice sound as innocent as possible, before ghosting his tongue delicately over one nipple and then another. Those seductive fingers of his trailed down the side of her body, up and down her thighs and between her legs again.

“I wonder, which feeling do you enjoy more, Rosebud? This?”

Two fingers began to gently stroke her clit, making her bite her lip to keep from moaning even louder. Alixka let her head fall back, enjoying his attentions.

“Or this?” Stopping his fingers for a moment to swirl his tongue around her nipple slowly. Marluxia placed a hand on her thigh and felt her trembling.

 _Yes._ He thought with a sinister smile. _So close. But not just yet._ Very slowly he pressed lips against her earlobe and whispered to her.

“Maybe... _both_?”

Her eyes snapped open just as she felt a gentle nip at her neck before he took her nipple into his mouth fully. The feeling of his hot tongue swirling around it was only made more intense when he pressed his fingers against her clit at the same time, eliciting the desired response he was looking for.

“Marluxia!” Alixka cried out, struggling in her bondage.

“Yes, Darling?”

Marluxia glanced up at her, that damn sexy smirk of his! That was the last thing that went through Alixka’s mind before she gasped, feeling those seductive fingers work between her legs again. He grabbed her chin again and held her gaze with his, taking great satisfaction in seeing what he was doing to her through her eyes. Those lovely violet eyes remained on him as his lips recaptured one nipple and his free hand caught another.

“Please…” She whimpered, jerking her body a little to elude his teasing. But it only encouraged him to continue with more fervor. Her moans were intoxicating.

“Yes, my darling. I want to hear how much you want it.”

A familiar wetness was forming between her thighs. Marluxia knew that he could drown her in pleasure at any moment if he chose to. Keyword being “if”.

“I want to hear you scream my name.”

Alixka rested her head on his shoulder, ready to be engulfed in this wonderful pleasure. But suddenly he took his hands and mouth away from her. Marluxia pressed several kisses along her neck and down her breasts, holding her for a few moments and feeling as her body trembled with frustration.

“But not yet. I’m not done with you, Rosebud.”

“Fucking hell, Marluxia…” The brunette whispered, turning away again. But he forced her gaze back to his, with a little more roughness than before.

“Now is that any way to speak to your lord?”

As a form of reproof he claimed her mouth once more in a deep kiss that kept her momentarily distracted as he ran his hands down her body at an extremely slow pace, stopping right at her hips. His tongue playfully toying with her own as he brought her legs around him, pushing her back further on the bed. That’s when her eyes widened at the sudden realization of what her captor was about to do, and gasped out as his cock pushed into her, slowly at first before slamming into her. 

“Ahhh, oh, oh dammit!”

His thrusts were quick, deep and intense, making her head spin with the intoxicating sensation. Tears of pleasure began to burn in her eyes and she glanced up at her captor, whimpering at the deliciously sadistic expression in his beautiful face. She was coming close but she knew this heady ravishment would be brief. Marluxia leaned into her ear, whispering something to her that, in her lust-clouded mind, she did not fully understand. 

“...oh, but you're so wet already. How much more wet can I make you, hmmm? Shall we find out, my darling?”

It was at this very moment, when she felt herself at the peak of ecstasy that he removed himself from her, taking her in his arms and holding her tightly. So warm was his body, and so close she had been. She arched into him; crying desperately as his sinister, sexy laughter became louder.

“You are so beautiful like this.” He said teasingly. “Do you enjoy being at the mercy of the Lord of the Castle?”

A deep red flush washed over Alixka as his words burned through her ears. Her body trembled but a small smile came to her face. 

“Yes. Yes I do.” She whispered.

“Very good.”

The pink haired Nobody nodded his approval, rewarding his lovely captive with a sweet kiss. He released her from his embrace and backed away, tenderly caressing her hair and waiting for her to cool down before he continued toying with her lest the pleasure be spoiled too soon.

“Relax, my darling.” he whispered kindly. “I will give you what you need very soon. Don’t worry.” Marluxia placed a kiss on her forehead, pressing his own against her and cupping her cheeks with both his hands to wipe away her tears. “Oh, you are so perfect, Alixka”

When he heard a soft moan begging for him to return to her body, he complied by tracing his fingertips along her jaw and down to her neck and further down her body. They continued at an agonizing pace until he reached her legs. Caressing them softly before gently parting them. A small shiver ran through the brunette as her desire rose again.

Suddenly Alixka felt her hands move as the vine vanished. She smiled slightly and began to rub one of her wrists but in another second Marluxia pushed her back onto the bed with a quick and graceful movement. She looked up at him surprisingly as his body pressed against hers in a way that thrilled her.

“You thought you were free from my torment. Didn’t you?” he asked as he positioned her arms above her head. “Silly Rosebud, why would you think that?”

The brunette whined as she felt him use one hand to bind her again with another set of vines while the other hand tickled her in soft reprimand. Of course Marluxia wasn’t done with her. And of course she didn’t want him to be.

Arms snaked around her body as their lips met once more, his tongue teasing hers for a few moments before moving to her cheek. Continuing down her neck and  all the way to her breasts. Gently he closed his mouth around a nipple, sucking and swirling his warm tongue around it in a way that made Alixka writhe against him. He pulled back with a little teasing smirk.

“You seem to enjoy my lips.” He whispered, placing a finger on her own. “Where else would you like my lips to touch you?”

Alixka did not answer but he did not expect her to and it was okay with him. He knew, and with that he began to press several soft kisses along her thighs, letting his tongue run up and down her skin. She knew where he was going and her body jerked some, hoping he would get there faster. 

But Marluxia only pressed a hand to her waist to still her. His mouth still worked at a frustratingly slow pace and she jerked her hips again, knowing well what would happen but not caring. His fingers danced tantalizingly across her body. It was worth it.

“Behave, Rosebud. I’ll give you what you need when you’re ready to receive it.”

She was ready now! Alixka huffed but her pink haired lover rewarded her soon with a playful little kiss against her slick folds. She bit her lip as she felt his lips tease her. When a particularly slow kiss was placed where she ached for him the most, it was all she could do not to fly apart in anticipation.

Finally she felt him kiss her again, this time his tongue slipped out from his lips and touched her just enough to send absolute chills all through her body. It was so faint, so delicate, but as lucid as if it were his whole tongue on her clit, and his name escaped her lips once more.

“Ahhh…! Ahh...ohh...Marluxia!” 

These tender little licks were like the most delicious torture to her, and he knew it. His hands firmly grabbed her thighs while his mouth continued to taunt and torment her clit, as if daring his captive to meet her climax before he was ready for her. 

“Oh? Do I feel your legs shaking? Hmmm?” He already knew the answer and teased her even more by letting his fingers dance along her stomach. A loud, broken cry of arousal escaped her as her hips arched up and gyrated against his cruel tongue. Bringing her nearly to her peak again. “No, no. No coming yet, my darling.”

Alixka tossed her head to the side. Closing her eyes and groaning into her pillow as she tried to focus her mind away from Marluxia’s teasings and the building pleasure inside her practically bursting at the seams. Thankfully he finally pulled away from her before she could completely break, smirking at her flushed expression and her bright wet eyes.

“You’ve gotten better at holding back until I’m ready for you…” He chuckled as he gently cupped her cheek. 

She blushed as she recalled the many times her lover had done this to her in the past, all the ways he would torment her and all the times it became too much. And the unique ways that he would punish her.

“And you’ve been so good tonight, do you think you deserve a reward, Rosebud?”

“I...if you think I deserve it…”

He answered her with a sweet and lingering kiss upon her lips and a soft whisper against them.

“I do.”

Their bodies pressed together as close as he could, his arms wrapping around her. Marluxia held her like that for a few moments, bringing her gaze back to his and kissing her softly. After a long pause, he placed his hand back on her legs, sliding it between them. His tender expression then vanished back to that of a merciless captor as one of his fingers push slowly into her, followed by another.

“Now, my darling, tell the lord of this castle what you desire.” Marluxia whispered as his fingers moved in and out of her at an agonizingly slow pace. He gave her a teasing smirk as he felt just how wet he had made her, causing Alixka to bite her lip and turn away from his wicked gaze.

“You..know exactly what I desire, My Lord.” She murmured.

“Oh? Do I?”

He pulled his fingers away to firmly press himself against her again. His soft pink locks brushed against her neck and shoulders and he was so close to her now that she could smell the faint scent of roses on his perfect skin. Tender lips brushed against her cheek.

“Look at me, Alixka.”

She slowly turned to face him again, feeling him slide his hands down and place them on her hips in a firm grasp.

“Tell your lord what you him to do to you?”

“Mmmmm.”

“Is _this_ is what you want?” Rolling his hips against hers again in a way that she could feel his cock rub against her. Alixka whimpered his name softly. Her body was beginning to shake as she arched into his once more, earning her another slow grind of his hips against hers.

“Please…” she whined. “I..I want you...I desire you…”

“You have me already.” He purred in her ear as his hips rolled into hers again, causing her to groan softly with pleasure and irritation. “I know you want me, what I want to know is what you want me to do?”

She bit her lip but she knew the game. He loved to make her desperate and feral, to make her beg for him. It was so cruel yet so delightful and she always wondered how much of his torment she could take. 

But now the pleasure that had been building up inside of her for so long was coming dangerously close to overwhelming her. Marluxia’s teasing was always so intense.

“Well?” 

He pressed against her hips once more with his own, pressing against a very specific spot that pulled from her lips another long and desperate cry. She writhed in her state of bondage but he held her body in place. Their eyes met and tilted his head at her with a knowing little grin. She knew what he expected of her.

“Fuck! Fuck I can’t take it anymore! I want...need you to fuck me!”

Alixka blushed at the aggression of her words but at that point it didn’t matter. She wanted him, needed him, to ravish her without restraint. It was the only coherent thought she could hold at that moment. Marluxia chuckled devilishly as he parted her legs further and positioned himself between them.

“A little vulgar for my taste.” He teased. “But I’ll oblige.”

Ever the gentleman. Alixka made a small sound of mock anger that was immediately drowned out by a much louder, lustier sound as she felt him thrust into her. He leaned down and placed several passionate kisses along her neck.

“Wrap your legs around me.”

She obeyed and coiled her slender legs around his waist as he grabbed her hips and began to move faster deeper into her, causing moans to spill from her lips. It was clear that this time he was taking her with the intention of drowning her in ecstasy. It would only be a matter of time before he took her over the edge and within moments she felt her body tense up and clench around him. 

With a few more deep thrusts that long awaited pleasure finally broke and she at last met her climax with a long and pleasured cry with Marluxia following soon after her. It was another few moments before they both came back to reality. Marluxia removed the vine that had been restraining Alixka, kissing and stroking her wrists with great tenderness. 

“Are you okay, Rosebud?”

Alixka answered him by pressing her head against her chest. Marluxia took her into his arms, kissing her forehead and stroking her hair. She blushed, he always seemed to be at his sweetest after tormenting her for hours on end. Not that she was complaining. 

“I refuse to believe that there were no emotions in what we just shared, Alixka.” He whispered, bringing her gaze to his. “Perhaps there are more mysteries to the heart to unlock than we could ever imagine.”

“Maybe so.” She agreed. His thoughts had merritt, now in a mind unclouded by lust.

“Xemnas will never give us the answers we seek. I doubt any of the other senior members will either. Hell, they may be as in the dark as we are. So we must seek those answers for ourselves.”

She sighed again. “So... you truly intend to overthrow Xemnas and take over the Organization?”

He did not answer but instead softly pressed his lips to hers. Alixka knew she already had her answer. And in that same moment, she knew what her course of action would be. Her purpose to her was now clear.

“I will be by your side all the way. _Lord_ Marluxia”

~~~

Alixka had figured that things would soon move at a faster pace once she agreed to follow her lover in his plans. So it was something of a disappointment when the next week passed with little of interest happening. She spent her days in more or less the same way, playing the harp and wandering the upper floors by day and tied up under Marluxia by night. 

Sora was nearly to the castle and when Marluxia wasn’t spending his time with her, he was getting ready for his arrival. Namine was kept in a single room not too far from her own and occasionally Alixka passed by her room to see her almost always drawing or sitting alone on her bed. 

Even though she was fully on board with Marluxia’s plans, she could not help but feel pity for the shy Nobody. Most of the other members did not see her as more than a tiny piece in a much bigger picture. And Alixka could not forget their brief moments together at her harp. Perhaps if Namine had one person who she could see as an ally, maybe even a friend, then perhaps it would not be so hard for her.

It was in this spirit that Alixka decided to make a gift for the young girl. There were many rooms on the upper floors that they weren’t using, and many different things in them. After a few hours of exploring, she had managed to gather a bunch of pretty objects and began sewing a small doll that somewhat resembled Namine. 

Alixka also gave the doll wings and a small halo because she couldn’t help but feel like Namine was a lot like an angel with her sweet face and pure white dress. She had heard her described as a witch, but she didn’t think so. But she was also curious as to what exactly her powers were and what role Namine would play in all this. It was a curiosity that Larxene satisfied for her one evening when she was putting the finishing touches on her gift. 

“Namine has the ability to manipulate memories, rearrange them and even create new ones in Sora’s heart.” she told her. “It’s Marluxia’s plan to have Namine give Sora new memories with herself in them and he’ll become her perfect little puppet. And then, both of them will be in Marluxia’s control.”

“Sounds like he’s got this all figured out.” Alixka replied. “And what about Namine?”

“What about her?” Larxene shrugged. “Not like she has any choice in the matter. All she wants is to not be lonely anymore and we’re giving her that. Sounds like a fair trade to me.”

“I guess.” the brunette cut the last bit of loose strings and held up her handiwork to admire. “Well, it’s getting late. You should probably get some sleep and Marluxia will be here soon.”

“Oh yeah!” the blonde grinned. “Gonna have a night of fun with the Lord of the Castle?”

“Whether I do or not is none of your business!” But Larxene could see that Alixka was blushing and of course this prompted her to want to tease her more.

“I should probably get going then! I’m sure you’ll be quite busy soon enough!”

“Yeah, you probably should leave!”

“And I’m sure…” quickly swiping the doll away from Alixka. “...you won’t be needing to work on this little trinket anytime soon!”

“HEY!” The blonde giggled as her friend jumped up and started chasing her around the room, trying to get the doll back. “Stop fucking around, Larxene!”

“Make me!”

“Oh, I’ll make you! Don’t make me summon Stormborn!”

“Is that a threat, Princess?”

“Maybe! If you don’t give it back! Come on…!”

Larxene suddenly stopped when her back hit one of the walls, but she obviously didn’t plan to give Alixka the doll back just yet. She tauntingly held it over her head, making Alixka curse that the blonde was half a head taller, just tall enough that she couldn’t reach for it easily. 

“Come on, Larxene!”

She giggled but decided to be kind and hand the doll back to her. Alixka smiled and was about to thank Larxene when she suddenly stunned her by doing something rather bold, and rather shocking. It happened so quickly that at first Alixka wondered if she was imagining things. Surely Larxene wouldn’t do something so crazy, kissing her when she knew that she belonged to Marluxia. 

She had often implied that she might like this sort of thing but she was certain that it had just been teasing. What was even more shocking was that Alixka actually found herself _enjoying_ this kiss. Her lips were soft against her own and had a faint and pleasant sweetness to them, almost like kissing Marluxia. That’s what shocked her the most but before she could give more thought to this, the doorknob turned and Marluxia entered the room. 

And as quickly as she had done it, Larxene pulled away from Alixka, hurrying to the door just as quickly but not before giving the brunette a certain look that sent shivers through her. A look that told her that this kiss would not be their last, a look she tried her best to ignore even as her pink haired lover took her into his arms and closed the door. Thankfully, it seemed he had not seen what had happened. 

“All is going well.” he whispered as his hands ran slowly up and down her back, one hand finding her zipper to pull it down. “Soon Sora will be here and soon we’ll have the upper hand for our plans, my darling.”

“I’m glad…” she murmured, but even as she felt herself melt in his embrace, her mind was still focused on Larxene and what had just happened between them. She could still feel her lips against her own and she could not ignore how tantalizing it had been to kiss another girl. Marluxia could sense her distraction.

“Something wrong, Rosebud?”

His question forced her mind to reality and she glanced up at him, unsure how she could tell him about the kiss or even if she should. 

“Uh...nothing’s wrong. I’m fine. Just...glad to have you to myself finally.”

But Marluxia could tell something else was on her mind and since she and Larxene had been alone together for some time, he could make an educated guess. Though he pretended to believe her and chuckled as he lifted her off her feet and carried her towards their bed. Their lips met and his body pressed firmly against her own, causing her to whimper with expectation. 

“You’ll have me to yourself all night.” he removed his coat and gloves and gazed down at her with a sinister smile. “Now, what shall I do to you tonight, Rosebud?” 

She blushed. “Do...do whatever you want to me, Lord Marluxia. Anything you like.”

Her lover chuckled and raked his fingers slowly through her hair. “Yes, I like that idea.”

~~~

“They Keyblade master has entered the building.”

Those were the first words that Axel greeted her with the following morning. Sora was finally there! Things would surely move at a much faster pace now.

“Where is he?” She asked.

“The first floor.” The redhead replied. “Marluxia led him the rest of the way here. I’m going down there now to see what the fuss is all about.”

The brunette grinned. She had hoped for something like this, maybe now she could have have some time uninterrupted with Namine. 

“You go do that.” She said to Axel as she went to pass by him. “I’ll look after Namine.”

“A key of truth.” Axel murmured under his breath. “I wonder what Marluxia has in store for him.”

A slight jolt burned through Alixka as the redhead faded in a black and purple mist. Key of truth. That was something she had only heard from Marluxia, and he only said it when he was speaking of their coup. She couldn’t help but feel curious about why Axel had said that. Curious and slightly concerned.

The blonde girl was sitting silently in the corner, as usual, sketching away in her drawing pad. Sometimes she drew pictures of the castle or the things around her but the bulk of her work depicted scenes from Sora’s adventures in many worlds. Alixka did not know much about Sora at first but she felt as though she was getting to know him through her artwork.

“Hello, Nami-dear.” She gave the younger Nobody a kind smile. “Remember me?”

Namine glanced up from her drawing, she clutched her drawing pad to her chest slightly before quickly lowering her head.

“I have something for you. Want to see?”

She watched as the brunette approached her, not knowing if she should be afraid. If only she did not wear their coat. Alixka smiled again and pulled from her pocket the small handmade doll she had made as a token of kindness and hopefully friendship. A very faint red tint appeared on the younger girls face, along with an even fainter smile. Alixka could see her defenses lowering and placed the doll in her lap.

“She’s an angel.” The older girl said softly. “An angel just like you.”

“I’m no angel…” Namine clutched her drawing pad more tightly and bit her lip. “I’m a witch.”

“Oh come now.” Alixka giggled. “You aren’t a witch. Witches are mean and scary.”

“I am. My powers…”

The brunette placed a gentle finger on the tiny lips.

“I like to think of you as more of a fairy.” She said. “Being a fairy suits you better.”

Namine locked gazes with Alixka for a brief moment, that familiar warmth was rising in her again that saddened her. She knew the one who was real. That is why she felt so familiar.

“May I see what you're drawing today?”

A soft, shy noise escaped the tiny lips as she continued to hold her drawing pad to her chest. The brunette tilted her head and smiled.

“It’s not like you to be shy about your work.” She knelt down beside Namine. “Let me see, is it another one of Sora?”

“No.”

“Now you’ve piqued my curiosity, Nami-dear.” The older girl giggled. “Why won’t you show me?”

There was a brief silence between them before Namine smiled slightly.

“Kalai.”

“Huh?”

Alixka raised an eyebrow at the young girl. Slowly Namine revealed her picture; two girls one older and the other younger. The younger girl had short red hair, a dress of white and purple, and blue eyes like Namine. The older one wore an elegant uniform of black and grey and had long dark hair with violet eyes. They were both holding bars of sea salt ice cream. The brunette stared at the drawing for a long time and then at the artist. 

“Namine,” She began. “This is…”

“This is Kalai.” The blonde pointed to the older girl in the drawing. “And this..this is Kairi.”

Kairi! The Princess of Heart connected to Sora. The one of whom Namine was a Nobody. Her eyes widened.

“Kairi…” She stammered, “But...that other girl...is that...me?”

Namine smiled. “Kalai. That girl is Kalai.”

~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I believe you.


	17. Hearts Awakening (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Hero of the Keyblade arrives in Castle Oblivion, Namine finds herself forming a strange bond with one of her captors and Larxene continues to drop hints to Alixka.

~~~

So many questions that Alixka now had for the girl but she remained silent, not wanting to overwhelm her. Truthfully she was already a little overwhelmed herself. For a while there was only silence between them, silence and the echoing of footsteps. Namine knew who was coming and quickly recoiled back into her wallflower state.

“Why so sad, Namine?” Marluxia asked the blonde. “Soon you will no longer be in the shadow of Kairi, the Keyblade master will be completely under your thumb.”

Namine blushed and said not a word. Alixka placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Her pink haired lover noticed at once how Namine relaxed under the brunette’s touch. Then he saw the drawing.

“Oh my, this is a particularly splendid piece, my dear.” He snatched the drawing pad from her lap to have a better look, making both girls jump. “This is Alixka, isn’t it? You’ve definitely captured how lovely she is, especially her eyes.”

Now it was Alixka’s turn to blush as she glanced up at her lover who was eyeing over the drawing thoughtfully. Something about it held his interest for a long moment.

“Namine. This other girl, this is Kairi isn’t it?”Namine did not respond but she did not have to. He knew and he turned his attention to Alixka. “You never told me that you knew the Princess of Heart in your past life, Darling.”

“I...I didn’t even know myself.” She murmured. “Such memories are still hazy to me at this point. I know I knew a young girl very like the one in the picture, but I couldn’t remember her name until just now.”

“Oh? How interesting.” Both girls looked up at Marluxia nervously. He was thinking something. Alixka knew it. Finally he smiled and handed the drawing pad back to its owner.

“You two seem fond of each other.” He said. “Would I be correct in making that assumption, Namine? Do you like Alixka?”

The blonde nodded shyly, causing a delighted grin to rise on his face. He placed his arm around his lover coaxingly.

“Rosebud, would you be so kind as to let Namine and I have a few moments alone? There is something I’d like to discuss with her.”

There was something in the pink haired Nobody’s voice that did not sit well with her. She placed a comforting hand on the soft blonde head.

“Why can’t you discuss it in front of me?”

“It has to do with you, Darling. It’s nothing bad so fear not.”

“If that’s the case then…”

“Please do as your lord commands.”

The brunette raised a curious eyebrow at her lover. He had never spoken to her like that before, at least not outside the bedroom. But she obeyed nonetheless. It couldn’t be that bad, right? She stepped out of the room, but moved slightly next to the door so she could hear what they were saying.

“I know you are reluctant to comply to our commands.” Marluxia said to Namine. “But I also know you are lonely and that you…” he paused for a moment. “I know you’re still there, Alixka.”

Alixka quickly walked away. Whatever it was, she would have to find out later.

~~~

“Now everything is falling into place.” Marluxia told her that evening. “She likes you. But I don’t want you two interacting anymore until I say so.”

“Why? I don’t understand.”

“You will be her reward. The delight of your company will be Namine’s incentive to act on our wishes.”

Alixka felt that sick feeling rise in her stomach. So she was to be used as a bribe. Like coaxing a child with a piece of candy. She bit her lip.

“Will she do it?”

“Of course.” He smiled a little. “Who wouldn’t do anything to be around your lovely face? Honestly this has worked out far better than I had previously thought. Your past with The Princess of Heart seems to be pushing Namine in a way beyond her desire to meet Sora.”

The brunette now felt even sicker. Her past with The Princess of Heart was one that even she was not fully aware of but it seemed like Marluxia knew more than she did. Marluxia must have sensed her anxiety because he then placed a comforting arm around his lover and kissed her cheek.

“A past that will be now further revealed to you, my darling.” He whispered.

“Huh?”

The pink haired man smiled as he rose to his feet and went over to pull out the box from the closet he had brought with him from The Castle That Never Was. Inside were several papers that Alixka recognized at once. She gasped. They were the missing pages!

“The harp was not your only surprise, my dear.” He said. “I truly hope that you will forgive me for keeping them from you for so long.”

“Why did you?” She asked, too confused to be angry.

“When we were in Hollow Bastion, the way you behaved was very perplexing.” He began. “And I recalled Xemnas saying that you were connected to the beginning of the Organization. With those clues I decided I wanted to know more. And that’s when I found the tome. When I found this…”

From the top of the pile he handed her a picture of a woman holding a child, a child with dark hair and violet eyes. Marluxia smiled.

“Turn this around.”

Alixka took the picture from him and turned it around, a small shriek escaped her as she read the writing on the back: 

_ Lady Rowan and her daughter Kalai, ten months old, Radiant Garden _

_ Kalai _

She understood now. That was her name. Her eyes began to burn with a strange feeling and a stranger feeling tingled in her stomach. Not like sickness, but also sickness at the same time.

“This is...me…”

“Yes.” Marluxia agreed. “This is you. And what a beautiful child you were. Of course you grew up to be even lovelier, my darling.”

Alixka blushed, a torrent of thoughts running through her mind.

“There is not much else of substance in these pages I’m afraid.” He continued. “But I did come across this interesting bit, apparently written by someone who lived in the castle. Would you like to see?”

He did not need to ask twice, Alixka reached for the page and had to keep herself from snatching it from his hands. She read.

_ It has been decided that Kalai will begin her apprenticeship after her seventeenth birthday. She has greatly improved in her training. I believe she will make a splendid addition to the Royal Guard and I can’t pretend that I am not extremely proud of her. I suppose it is only natural for a father to want his child to take after him in some way, but there is such determination and strength in her heart… _

The page was torn at this point beyond literacy. Alixka sighed as Marluxia handed her another page.

“This is the last one. I believe it was written years before the other. Read it.”

_ Last night His Lordship introduced us to our new ward. This morning she was entrusted into my intellectual care. She is a child of eleven years of age, somewhat tall but with a very dignified bearing befitting a daughter of nobility. It is not known how long Lady Kalai will be staying with us but I shall do my best to teach her well and see that she becomes a brilliant and charming young lady. _

“Nobility?” She murmured. “I was from a noble family?”

“How suitable.” Her pink haired lover gave her one of his teasing smirks as he ran his fingers through her hair. “Your beauty and grace are perfectly befitting a princess. You are my Princess Rosebud.”

Alixka blushed again, more red than before.

“There is now only one more thing I must know.” She said. “The faces of those who lived in the castle with me.”

“When we return we can investigate that further. But in the meantime, imagine what other memories Namine could have locked away in her. Through her connection with The Princess of Heart. I know you are uncomfortable with the idea of us using her power like that. But perhaps she is just as alone as you once were.”

He kissed her again softly and continued.

“So be a comfort to her when she behaves. Soon all of this won’t matter because Sora will be under my control. She will have a friend and we will have control over the Organization.”

Alixka could not help but grin. He was always so sure of everything. He understood everything and knew the answers to anything even before it was presented to him. This was all still a dangerous game but Marluxia was in it to win.

A gentle hand crept up her back and made her shiver, he turned her gaze to meet his and he kissed her again. This time with more passion. All of her thoughts at once silenced themselves as she melted into his embrace. One of his hands found her zipper and pulled it down slowly along with his own with the other hand. Several kisses were placed along her neck and collarbone, causing her to sigh with content.

“Marluxia…” She whispered.

“You’ve had too much on your mind.” He murmured between kisses. “I can feel how tense you are.”

Gently Marluxia pushed her onto her stomach. He kneaded at her back gently, pressing his lips down her body with every touch. Alixka sighed and felt herself loosen under his hands. When he no longer felt like she was tense he placed a deep and lingering kiss at the nape of her neck and turned her body around. They held each other like that for a long time.

“You feel so good.” Alixka murmured, nuzzling into his neck.

“I’m going to make you feel even better.”

Marluxia finished undressing her but when Alixka brought her hands up above her head, he took them into his with a sweet little grin.

“I want to treat you like a princess tonight. No torment. Would you like that?”

She could feel herself blush and melt under his sweet words, but nodded her consent nonetheless. He brought her hands to his lips and kissed them slowly before placing them around his neck, letting her lace her fingers through his soft pink hair.

“You are the princess of my castle, Alixka.” He said to her between kisses. “And you are my most beautiful flower.”

"Marluxia..."

"Relax, and allow your lord to take care of you..."

Alixka always enjoyed the sadistic way her lover liked to tease and toy with her, but that night his tender attentiveness made her feel like a goddess being worshiped by the most adoring of followers. Marluxia never seemed to let go of her, his lips never leaving her and she found herself meeting her climax multiple times before he finally wrapped her legs around his waist and thrust into her. Earning him a long and satisfied moan.

“Mmmm, that’s what I like, Darling.” He whispered as he delved into her with a slow and steady rhythm. “Your moans are enchanting. Don’t be shy.”

Soon enough Alixka felt herself becoming inflamed with desire once more as his hands roamed around her body while he lavished her. Needily, she brought them to her breasts and cried out when he ghosted his thumbs across her nipples. Their eyes met each other’s.

“Ah...oh yes….just go a little faster...plea...ah!!”

He quickened his movements, continuing to lavish attention on her neck and whisper into her ear.

“Do you like this, Alixka? Do you like what I’m doing to you? How I'm making you feel?”

She answered him by crying out louder, letting her hips buck into his as her orgasm washed over her. She leaned into Marluxia and kissed him greedily, trying to prolong the moment of ecstasy for as long as she could before finally disconnecting from him. His fingers continued to caress her body, trembling with pleasure.

“If I had a heart,” She began. “It would be melting at how sweet you’re being to me tonight.”

“Well...How do you know that you don’t have a heart.” He replied.

The question took Alixka aback a little. Of course they didn’t have hearts. That was the one thing she was certain about Nobodies. Even if everything else was in doubt. She wanted to ask him what he meant but he didn’t seem interested in furthering the subject, instead kissing her and whispering sweet compliments and promises to her as she drifted off to sleep.

_ ~~~ _

_ “He didn’t even allow me to attend my own mother’s funeral…” _

_ The poor girl collapsed on the floor in a torrent of rage and sorrow. Her tall companion watching her with guilt and sympathy. _

_ “DOES MY FATHER HATE ME SO MUCH?! I WASN'T EVEN ALLOWED TO SAY GOODBYE TO HER!!!” _

_ She was swept up into his arms at once as he murmured comfort and apologies to her. _

_ “WHY DOES HE HATE ME?! WHY DOES MY FATHER HATE ME?!” _

_ “Miss Kalai...I...I don’t know if I really have the right to tell you this but...there is something you should know about your father...your father...your father is…” _

~~~

Alixka woke from her strange nightmare with surprisingly wet eyes.

Another dream. Another memory.

It could not be explained to her why her body was burning with sadness at that moment. Her father? Hate her? The writing she had read made it seem like her father actually cherished her. It didn’t make sense.

She turned to her lover, appearing to be sleeping soundly but when she sniffed back another strange tear, she felt his hand on her cheek.

“What’s wrong, Alixka?” He asked groggily.

“I...I don’t know…” she replied, softly touching her own face. “Why…”

“You were crying?”

“Nobodies can’t feel.” She said. “Tears come from the heart.”

“Stop saying such things.” Marluxia leaned into her and kissed her forehead. “This isn’t the first time I’ve seen your tears. Isn’t it obvious to you already that we have at least some capacity to feel?”

“I...I guess…”

“You don’t guess. You know.”

Alixka sighed. “Can I ask you a question, Marluxia?” The pink haired Nobody glanced at her curiously before nodding with a small smile. “Have you recently heard that voice calling out to you recently?”

He hesitated for a long while. “I have. But I’ve recently been experiencing something else odd. I noticed it when we first entered this castle.”

“Another voice?”

“No. Not a voice. Just a sense. Strange really. But I can’t help but feel that we aren’t alone in this castle. That there is something else, or maybe  _ someone _ else, here as well. It’s odd because I know all the floors to this castle. If such a thing were true I would know by now. Odder still is when I first encountered Sora, when I first saw his keyblade, I felt as if...as if…” He paused in thought.

“Marluxia?”

“I don’t know. It was just odd. I did my best not to think about it at the time. But the thoughts have not left me and they will not leave me until I have control over that boys keyblade.”

“I understand.” Alixka forced herself to smile. “Sora’s keyblade is our key of truth.”

“Yes. You do understand, Rosebud.” He kissed her again and patted her head. “Go back to sleep.”

~~~

Even at Castle Oblivion, it rained. Alixka listened silently to the pattering of rain and the rolls of thunder in the distance. Storms never bothered her, in fact they calmed her. Maiden of Tempests indeed. But even so sleep would not return to her quickly and after a while she gave up any hope of it.

As she lay awake, Alixka could not help but think about Namine, who was in another room not too far away. How frightened she must be at the moment. She took a quick look at Marluxia who was apparently deep in sleep and very gently pulled away from him.

_ I’ll only be a minute.  _ She thought as she wrapped her coat around her naked body, not even bothering for her boots.  _ I’m just going to check on her. Then I’ll return. _

She could hear the soft sniffs of crying as soon as she entered the room in a mist of black and purple. Thankfully no one else was there.

“Who is there?” A soft, shaken voice called out.

“It’s me, Nami-dear.” Alixka whispered. “Don’t worry, I’m alone.”

Her footsteps were as soft as she could make them as she made her way to the girl huddled up in the corner of her bed. She noticed that her little gift for Namine was sitting in a birdcage above her. Cruelly poetic, she thought.

A flash of lightning flooded through the room, making the younger girl jump. Alixka went at once to her, sweeping her up into her arms.

“Are you afraid of lightning?”

Namine nodded slowly. Alixka pulled away from her with a smile.

“It’s out there. Not in here. Don’t worry.”

“Why are you here?” The blonde asked shyly. “Marluxia said I’m not allowed to see you until he says so.”

“Marluxia isn’t here now is he?” The brunette placed a playful finger to her lips. “I won’t tell if you won’t.”

Even in the darkness Alixka could see a flush come to the girls face. Namine glanced up at the older girl, wanting to say something but unsure if it would be wise.

“Is he keeping you here too?” At this Alixka laughed a little.

“No, Nami-dear. Marluxia and I are...are…” she blushed. “We’re comrades.”

“But...you’re different from him. You’re different from the rest of them. He scares me.”

A wave of sympathy washed over the older girl. She sighed and began to stroke the blondes hair comfortingly.

“I understand.” She said. “Truthfully when I first met Marluxia I was…also afraid of him.” Not afraid in the way Namine was referring to, but still. Those large blue eyes glanced at her now with more curiosity than fear. “But Namine, you are very special. Your power isn’t like ours. You have the ability to do far more than meddle with memories. Marluxia sees that. He sees for you a much greater purpose.”

“Purpose?”

“Yes, Nami-dear.” The brunette smiled. “You will understand when Sora comes to you. Don’t you want that?”

Namine hesitated and then lowered her head.

“I’m the shadow of Kairi.” She began. “He will never…”

The older girl placed a finger on the small lips to silence her.

“Hush.” She said. “Sora’s heart is connected to you. But I’ve stayed too long, you will see me again soon. I promise. Try not to fear Marluxia, what he's doing is for the best. For all of us. You will see that in time.”

For the sake of this kind lady, for the sake of Kalai, Namine tried to smile. She felt as though she could overlook her coat, if she would continue to be kind to her. She was the only one who truly was.

“Okay, Alixka.” The blonde murmured. “I’ll do my best. When can we see each other again?”

“I don’t know.” Alixka replied. “But we will. Try to get some sleep now.”

Thankfully Marluxia had not noticed her absence at all when she returned to their room. Somehow that little meeting with Namine also comforted Alixka and she found sleep coming to her far easier than before.

~~~

It was probably just as well that Alixka had taken the risk to see Namine that night, because another week then passed without seeing her at all. Occasionally she would pass by her room and saw her drawing but she did not stop in or say anything to her. 

She did not see much of Larxene during this time either and as hard as she tried, her mind would not forget that kiss they had shared. What could she have possibly been thinking? Surely she knew that she was with Marluxia. Perhaps Larxene had just been toying with her?

Alixka had also been debating with herself weather she should visit the basement trio or not but Lexaeus made it unnecessary by actually coming to her one day when she was alone. She was surprised but also somewhat relieved.

“Why are you here?” She asked him. “If any of the others knew you were here…”

“I see no one else.” He replied quickly. “And I’ll be brief. You haven’t come to see us. I was getting concerned.”

“I wanted to but…”

“You’ve been busy with Marluxia…”

“No!” She snapped. “If you must know it’s because I’m not comfortable with how Zexion is acting. I like you and Vexen well enough but if he’s going to continue being so…”

_ If only you two could see how alike you truly are.  _ The Silent Hero thought to himself, allowing himself the smallest of smiles. E _ ver since you two were children.  _ But this is what he said aloud:

“Where Vexen is wise but woefully prideful, Zexion is wise but often temperamental and says things he probably shouldn’t that he probably doesn’t even mean.”

“Well until he learns to put a cap on it I’m not coming back downstairs just to have insults flung at me!”

“If I agree to speak to him, will you come back to see us? Vexen is quite eager to show you his most recent accomplishment.”

“I’ll think about it.” She paused. “Before you go, Lexaeus, by any chance, are you aware of any other areas in this castle besides the thirteen floors and twelve basements?”

“None other that I know of. You should ask the Lord of the Castle himself.”

_ But he doesn’t know either! _ Alixka made a slightly annoyed sound. “Very well then. You should probably leave now before you’re discovered. Give my regards to Vexen.”

“Understood. I’m glad that you are well, Alixka.” And with that he disappeared.

His timing could not be better because at that moment Larxene appeared. A spark went off in the brunette at seeing her again and she quickly turned around in case it was showing on her face. The blonde was about something as usual but seemed to make no reference to what had transpired in their last meeting. 

“Hey, Rosebud!”

That was Marluxia’s name for her and no one else’s!

“Less than five seconds here and you’re already on thin ice!”

“Fine, be that way.” The blonde grinned. “Then I’ll just go and pay a visit to the keyblade master myself!”

“You mean Sora?”

“Of course! Who else besides Roxas wields a keyblade?” Larxene handed a card to the brunette. “It’s time for Sora to continue his journey through the castle. But one on one is too fair. Wanna tag-team?”

“Larxene...are we...really going to pretend…” as Alixka tried to find her words, she could feel her face becoming hot. “...are we actually going to pretend that you didn’t…”

But The Savage Nymph seemed content to do just that. She made a face. “Are you coming with me or not? Cause I’m fine with kicking Sora’s ass myself if you don’t wanna…”

“Oh! You mean fight him!” She was always down for a challenge and she would be lying if she said the idea of taking on a keyblade wielder didn’t sound alluring to her. 

“We can’t fully crush him!” Larxene continued. “But let’s not go easy on him either! Especially since it’s both of us!”

“Fine by me.” clearly she would have to discuss their kiss sometime later. After they had taken care of the Hero of the Keyblade. “This should be fun!”

~~~

“I bet you guys work with Axel!”

The hero of the keyblade, just another boy! Though extremely similar, somehow Sora seemed slightly less mature than Roxas and far more emotional, considering he actually had his heart. And of course, he had a better grip on his keyblade. His two whacky sidekicks on the other hand didn’t seem like the types to have any remarkable skills whatsoever. The two fierce ladies grinned.

“Too clever! I’m Larxene.”

“And I am Alixka. Are you enjoying your stay in the castle, Sora?”

“I bet it’s nice to peel away all the useless memories and awaken the true memories, that lay deep in your heart.”

“But Larxene,” Alixka said coyly. “He seems to still be forgetting the most important thing here.”

“Most...important thing..?”

“Of course, Alixka!” The blonde giggled. “Oh how sad! When that poor girl hears that he’s forgotten her name, it’ll just break her heart!”

“Poor girl?” The anger in Sora’s face at once changed to worry. “Do you know her? Is she here?”

“Yes she is!” Larxene replied. “You see the bad guys are holding her captive. Somewhere deep within the castle.”

“And you’re obviously the hero.” The brunette added. “So you have to go save her! Although…”

Alixka crossed her arms together another and summoned a strong wind that blew the trio of heroes off their feet toward Larxene. Larxene in turn then proceeded to kick Sora, causing a small star shaped charm to fall from his pocket.

“We're the bad guys!” Larxene said. “So you’ll have to go through us!”

The boys eyes directed themselves towards the star shaped charm now on the floor next to him. He didn’t seem to even realize that he was carrying it. The blonde claimed that it had been given to him by the aforementioned girl. She coaxed him into remembering her name.

“Na..Nami...Namine. Namine.”

“That’s right. Namine.” Larxene snatched the charm from his grasp. “She’s the one who gave you that tacky little good luck charm. Not that you even bothered to remember!”

“No surprise there!” Alixka scoffed. “Seeing that you couldn't even remember her name! How absolutely heartless!”

“It would serve you right,” The blonde continued. “If we decided to smash this piece of junk!”

“LET IT GO!” Sora became angry again. With his keyblade he swiped the charm away from The Savage Nymph. “Namine gave it to me! It’s very important to me!”

Now it was time for Larxene to get angry.

“Oh? It’s important to you now?” From her hands she summoned her knives in a fierce swirl of lightning. “Ten seconds ago you didn’t even know what it was!”

The Maiden of Tempests took her cue from her comrade and summoned Stormborn in a strong cloud of silver and purple.

“And sixty seconds ago you didn’t even know WHO gave it to you!”

Despite his obvious youth, it was clear that his grasp on the keyblade was far superior to Roxas. And his anger at the two ladies was an equally potent weapon as well. Larxene and Alixka spent nearly an hour exchanging blows with Sora before the latter of the two called a draw. As fun as this was, they still needed him alive.

“Namine would never forgive us if any harm came to Sora.” Turning to the boy. “Not bad, Sora. You really are a hero. Isn’t he, Larxene?”

“Yeah right!” The blonde scoffed. “A heartless hero!”

“WHO ASKED YOU?!” At this they laughed.

“Does it hurt because it’s the truth? You are just a baby!” Larxene then pulled a card from her sleeve. “And if your gonna be a baby then here you go!” She threw it at Sora.

“We crafted another card from your memories.” Alixka said with a sly smile.

“Be a good boy and say thanks!” The blonde added.

“Buh byeee!”

And with that the two fierce ladies vanished in a mist of black and purple. Leaving the Sora and his two comrades angry and confused with another card. A passport further into the castle.

~~~

“Well that was more fun than I expected it to be!” Alixka said when they re-emerged on the thirteenth floor.

“He’s such a fun little toy!” Larxene smirked. “And tag-teaming made it even better!” She gave the brunette a thoughtful, though still teasing look. “I think you may be growing on me, Princess. If Marluxia likes you so much, how bad can you be?”

Alixka did not know what to make of this statement. She raised her eyebrow to the blonde but then smirked herself.

“Do I sense a touch of budding affection, No. XII?”

“Don’t flatter yourself, Missy!” Larxene snapped. “I just think you're fun! Like I think killing shit and fucking with Demyx is fun! That’s all!”

She giggled at this and Larxene couldn’t help but giggle a little as well as they made their way down the halls. As they walked Alixka noticed the blonde glancing at her in a way she found strange but not uncomfortable. Perhaps this was as good a time as ever.

“And did you think it was fun to kiss me the other night? When you know Marluxia and I…”

Larxene immediately pushed her up against a nearby wall, the brunette gave a small yelp but she silenced her by pressing their lips together again. This kiss lingered a little longer than their previous one and Alixka found herself with enough time to fully take in the soft sweetness of the blonde’s lips against her own. It was electrifying to say the least and soon she felt her knees becoming weak. 

“I’ll...take that as a yes then?” she asked when their kiss broke. The blonde smirked.

“Did you like that, Princess?” 

“I...I…” 

Larxene didn’t wait for her to form her answer and kissed her again. This time with more intention, letting her tongue force it’s way past her lips. The feeling of her tongue mingling with her own brought Alixka back to reality and she quickly pulled away before things could get out of hand.

“What the actual fuck, Larxene?!” Alixka gasped. “What do you think Marluxia would say if he saw us like thi…”

“Oh, I don’t think he’ll mind much if I…”

“He will!” She interrupted. “The Lord of the Castle is very possessive!”

“I can see that!” The blonde giggled as she unzipped the other girls coat just enough for the base of her neck to be revealed, along with the marks that her lover had claimed her with. Her sharp green eyes flashed with devilish amusement. “Very possessive indeed!”

Heat shot up Alixka’s face at the feeling of being exposed to Larxene like this, even if it was just her neck. She glared at the blonde, but she found herself not really being able to show the anger she really felt. Or at least, the anger she felt she should have in this situation.

“I wonder,” Larxene went on. “What would he say if I were to leave a few marks of my own?”

“YOU’D PROBABLY FIND YOUR ASS AT THE POINTY END OF HIS SCYTHE!” Alixka shouted, trying her best to ignore the growing warmth rising between her legs. But this only made The Savage Nymph laugh in her shrill, sadistic way, the way her laughter echoed throughout the halls did not help matters either. There was nothing wrong with a little resistance, it made the game all the more fun.

“You can stop being coy now!” Larxene said slyly. “Don’t pretend like you’ve never thought about it!”

Alixka blushed, truthfully she had. Ever since their first kiss, she could not seem to get The Savage Nymph out of her mind, sometimes even when she was in the arms of her actual lover. While it was true that their relationship had not started on the best of terms, over time she had found herself warming up to Larxene in a similar way that she had warmed up to Marluxia. 

Her feelings for her did not run as deep as they did for him but she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t fascinated by her if not for any other reason that, up until recently, they were the only female members of the Organization. But it didn’t matter now, she shook her head, making the blonde scoff.

“Think about it.” she said. “Think about it the rest of the day if you want. But you know you’re curious. I can see it in those pretty purple eyes of yours. You’re curious.” She grabbed her chin and placed one last kiss on Alixka’s lips, finding that she didn’t object. “And I’m curious too.”

Alixka pulled away from her, with more success than before. The idea of a girl touching her did hold some allurement for her. And the idea of the sadistic blonde having her way with her also sounded attractive to her but again it did not matter. And hopefully it would not matter anymore. She continued to follow Larxene to a set of large double doors, one of them ajar to reveal a large empty room. 

“I’m gonna go talk to Axel for a bit.” Larxene said, changing the subject entirely. “He’s in on our plans too. Or at least he wants to be in on it.”

“Axel?!” The brunette’s mouth gaped a little. “But..why would Marluxia let…”

“It was my idea.” The blonde continued. “The more members we have our side, the easier our coup will be. Axel was the one who approached me about it and it just seemed too perfect!”

Alixka wasn’t sure how perfect this really seemed. They were still in the early stages and letting other members in on the scheme didn’t seem like the wisest course of action. Especially members whom they were unsure of their loyalties.

Luxord or Demyx would have maybe been better choices if they were stationed at Castle Oblivion as well. But Axel on the other hand, he was essentially a wild card. He stayed close to Saix but at the same time seemed completely independent of him and everyone else in the Organization. Who knew what was really going on in the redhead’s mind?

“Does Marluxia know?” She asked finally.

“He does.” Was the answer. “But he’s unsure about where Axel’s loyalty lay.”

_ As am I. _ Alixka thought. But she kept silent as Larxene walked in the other room.

“Wanna join me? Namine is there too. I know she’s taken a liking to you.”

“Well, actually, Marluxia told me not to see her until he says different.” a knot developed in her stomach as she spoke. A reminder of how cruel this still was. “For that very reason.”

It took Larxene a moment to understand this but when she did, she giggled again. 

“I’ll see ya later, Ali.” she gave her one last teasing look. “And don’t forget what I told you to think about!”

Alixka pretended not to notice the look in the blonde’s eye and turned to return to her room. For a few brief moments she actually considered joining Larxene and Axel if for any reason to get a better feel for how involved the latter had become in their plans. 

But she paused when she thought she heard Vexen’s voice, and changed her mind completely when she stood by the open door and saw him standing there with the blonde and redhead. She had not seen  him since she had visited the basements a few days after their arrival at the castle and was unsure if she wanted to see him under these circumstances. 

~~~

“How did you like fighting the Keyblade master?” 

It was a few hours later and Marluxia had returned to their room for the evening. Alixka smiled.

“Amusing to say the least.” she said. “I can see why his power holds such fascination with you and truthfully I’m fascinated as well.”

“And he’s making his way further into the castle now.” he replied. “Vexen has crafted a replica of his dark companion Riku in order to counter him. This should be quite interesting.”

“A replica?”

So that was the accomplishment that Vexen was so eager to show her! That might also explain why she had seen him with Larxene and Axel earlier. Marluxia went on. 

“Yes.  Albeit a prototype, but Namine has implanted memories into it exactly like those of the real Riku. In every way it is essentially human. On another note,” turning on his side to meet her gaze. “There's something I’d like to ask you, Rosebud.”

“Hmm?” she tilted her head. “What do you wanna ask me?”

“Forgive me if this question makes you uncomfortable but,” he placed a hand on her shoulder. “What do you think of Larxene?”

“Larxene?” her eyes fluttered and her face went hot. “I...I like her well enough. You know, we didn’t really get along for a while but she’s come around. I like her, even in her bitchiness she’s…” 

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Huh? Well what did you mean?” blush washed over her face that she hoped her lover couldn’t see in the dim lighting. “Why are you even asking me this?”

Marluxia gave her a little reassuring smile but did not respond. 

“And...why did you say it might make me uncomfortable?” 

Again he said nothing but he didn’t need to, soon after asking this she received her answer when there was a knock on the door. Alixka watched as Marluxia went to open it and felt a defined sense of warm anxiousness hit her gut at the sound of Larxene’s malicious giggling. The anxiousness only increased as they walked over to the bed, sitting on each side of her. 

“We have company, Rosebud.” he said with a little smirk. “You see, Larxene would like to…”

“How ‘bout we just skip all that!” 

Neither Marluxia or Alixka had no time to say anything before the blonde eagerly pushed the other girl back on the bed, pinning her under her. Alixka let out a little shriek but she was more surprised than upset. Larxene felt warm and had a rather strong hold despite being around the same physical build as her. A hand ran down her neck and found its way inside her coat and she blushed without even knowing why.

“I know you’re used to Marluxia having fun with you.” she whispered, an underlying sharpness in her soft tone. “But how about tonight we have a different kind of fun?”

“I...I…”

It must have been a rather embarrassing thing for Alixka when a deep and devilish chuckle from her pink haired lover reminded her of his presence. Her eyes shifted to him watching her, blushing and squirming under The Savage Nymph. He stroked her hair and smiled as if nothing out of the ordinary were occuring. His nonchalance slightly concerned her.

“I know she’s adorable, Larxene.” he began in an unsettlingly calm voice. “But I think your eagerness might be frightening her.”

“She doesn’t look scared to me. Do you?” she focused her attention back to the blushing brunette under her. “Are you scared, Princess?”

“No! Of course not! I fear nothing!” 

“Really? Well that’s good enough for me!” Larxene giggled, running her hands further down her body. She was getting a good feel of the soft curves that were hidden by the thick black material, soon to be revealed to her. A whimper escaped Alixka, causing her to grin. “This is going to be so much fun.”

“Patience, Larxene!” He chuckled at his friend’s enthusiasm. “The night is young. There will be plenty of time to bring this pretty flower to the peak of ecstasy.”

Her violet eyes widened as she felt her lover gently push the blonde away. He brushed slow and sensual fingers down her neck and against her lips. Their eyes never left each others and she was now beginning to understand what his intentions were. What both of their intentions were.

“You...you planned this! Both of you!”

“Oh no, not at all.” Marluxia replied, still sounding innocent and unbothered. “I admit I’ve been curious about this sort of thing but I never dared to ask you. I was concerned about making you uncomfortable. But…” pulling Alixka into a possessive embrace, brushing his lips against the shell of her ear. “Seeing how you’re responding, I know now that my concerns were unfounded.”

“Look how red she is!” Larxene snickered. “I wonder if she’s as wet as she looks!”

“Do you want to find out?” Marluxia gave the blonde a knowing grin as he held his lover’s arms around his neck, he smiled down at Alixka. “But only if you’re okay with this, Darling.”

At this point there was no point in even asking. The brunette nodded her consent and quickly found his hold on her loosening as he pulled her open coat over her head.

“You will be at the mercy of us both tonight.” He continued, pulling off his coat as well. “And Larxene is a thousand times more sadistic than I. If you don’t behave, we will both punish you in the most delightfully agonizing way. Are you in agreement with this?”

Her eyes fluttered and she found herself gasping a little at the implications of his words. She was slightly afraid, but also strangely curious, and at this point, very eager. She smiled a little.

“What could you two possibly do to me?”

“Is that a challenge?!” Larxene quickly pulled the brunette from Marluxia and held her in the exact same way, but much more roughly. She nipped sharply at her neck, making the brunette squeak.

“Ooooohhh! Marluxia said you make very sexy sounds when you’re turned on. I’m going to enjoy playing with you.” The blonde ran her hands down her arms and sides slowly, digging her nails into her skin a little and causing the brunette to whimper. “I’m going to enjoy making you shake and scream.”

“We both are.”

The pink haired man pulled his lover back into his arms and pressed his lips to hers in a very sweet kiss. Alixka blushed at his tenderness but she knew it was only an illusion. In the next moment he pulled away from her, smirking at her while he spoke to the blonde. Words that both frightened and thrilled her, and filled her mind with all of what tonight had in store for her. 

“Allow me to show you how to best torment her.”

~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One thing I want to mention about Namine’s interactions with Alixka: for those who read Days in the Sun, you would know that Kalai forms a friendship with the young Kairi during her time in Radiant Garden. Since Namine is Kairi’s Nobody I wanted some of those memories to play a part in their interaction. 
> 
> I know that canonically Namine shares Sora’s memories and not Kairi’s but the way I interpreted it was that since Sora has shown that he can share Kairi’s memories too (i.e. that scene in KH1 where he hears her grandmother's story) and her heart was inside his for a while, then Namine could also see her memories through his. 
> 
> The fact that I was able to come up with this at all is a testament to how I pay too much attention to this goddamn game.


	18. A Treacherous Trio (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All seems to be going to plan and Alixka finds herself really enjoying her new relationship with Marluxia and Larxene. But she still can't help but feel suspicious about another of their co-conspirators.

~~~

More than a year ago, if one had told Alixka that she would eventually grow to like both Marluxia and Larxene, she likely would have called that person insane. More than a year ago, if one had told Alixka that she would also eventually be intimately involved with them both, that person would very likely have ended up with her weapon at their neck. 

And yet, that’s exactly what occurred that night and at that point, Alixka could hardly recall a time when she had once feared him and hated her. It did not seem to cross her mind as they drowned her into one mind-blowing orgasm after another. 

Larxene was rougher and far more domineering than Marluxia; thinking nothing of digging her sharp nails into her tender flesh or bringing her to tears forcing her to beg for climax. Her vicious tongue was like a weapon of erotic torture, a weapon she used with deadly percision on the brunette. In more ways than one.

“Oh...oh please…” Alixka whimpered as her hips rolled eagerly against that same cruely delightful tongue. Her male lover watching them lasciviously, one hand teasing and toying with her breasts while the other ran sensuously down the blonde’s leg. “Ahhh...oh fuck...ahhhhh…”

“Mmmm, you’re doing a good job, Larxene.” he murmured. “If you could just see her eyes, how beautiful she is like this.”

But Larxene didn’t need to see what was going on above her, all she needed was to hear Alixka’s moans to know the effect she was having on her. One hand dug into her hips a little harder while the other slapped her ass playfully. The resulting jolt of pain mixed with pleasure brought out surprised yelp in the brunette and caused Larxene to spank her again for the sheer pleasure of it. 

All the while Marluxia watched them, finding the scene far too appealing just to be a spectator and joined them by grabbing the blonde’s hips and sliding his cock into her. She cried out before returning to Alixka, licking and sucking at her folds at a faster pace than before, Marluxia thrusting in and out of her, working them all to climax. 

“Aaaaa, oh, oh Larxene…” Alixka moaned, her hips wildy gyrating against the blonde as she felt herself coming close to the edge, her male lover helping her along the way, kissing her and running his hands down her body. “Ahhh, ahhhhhh!!”

Her body began moving on its own as climax shook her to the core, Larxene moving her hips against her mouth and Marluxia kissing her intensely as the pleasure washed over her. A few more licks and she moved to the side of the bed to watch her lovers. Marluxia pulled Larxene to his chest, thrusting fervently as her body clenched around him and orgasm took them over. His hips snapped into her and their lips slammed against each other in a deep kiss. 

At one time, such a torrid sight would have made Alixka burn with envy but now it was only arousing. She found herself desiring her former rival more and more and the way her beautiful male lover lavished her made her burn with need despite her pleasure being spent. She moved closer to them, giggling when Marluxia wrapped an arm around her waist and playfully kissed her neck. Larxene followed suit, bringing Alixka’s lips to hers as they fell back onto the bed.

“Well...that was unexpected.” she said with a little breathless laughter.

“Unexpected, yes.” Marluxia replied. “Unsatisfying, not at all. Wouldn’t you agree, Larxene?”

The blonde giggled in agreement but when the brunette tried to pull her into her arms, she jerked away.

“After sex cuddling is so not my thing!” She scoffed, Alixka made a face at her.

“Stop being a bitch for once and get back here!”

When the blonde did not comply right away, the brunette giggled and pulled her into her arms forcefully, but oddly enough, she found that she did not mind so much. Their male lover placed tender kisses on their foreheads.

“Alixka, if you are in agreement, I think this will be the start of a fun new relationship for all of us.”

She blushed and shifted her gaze back to her female lover, who raised her eyebrow at her.

“What? Did you think after tonight I’d be done with you? Oh no, Princess! We are going to have a lot more fun together!”

“Do I have any choice in this?”

“Of course.” Marluxia smirked. “But judging by your face, I think we already know the answer.”

“That’s not the point, UGH!!!”

Alixka’s two lovers laughed as they tickled and cuddled her in her fake angry state. Larxene turned to Alixka, running her fingers down her naked form, touching her neck and making her twitch. She placed her hand on her neck and felt the sensitive spot where the blondehad bit her. She blushed and frowned a little.

“Geez, Larxene! If you had to mark me, couldn’t you have done so further down the neckline?”

“How do you know I left it?” she chuckled. “Marluxia might have, he’s had you longer than me after all.”

“The point is that it's there and it’s visible!” If their relationship wasn’t common knowledge to the other members by now, it certainly would be soon. “How am I going to explain this?” At this he laughed.

“I see no problem here. If you must explain, it’s quite simple: I am the Superior within these walls and you are mine.” Marluxia bit down a little more on the mark before kissing it, a knowing smirk covered his face. Alixka made a pouting sound and Larxene snickered but was quickly paid for it when he did the exact same thing to her. Marking her in the exact same way. “You  _ both _ are mine. Do you have any objections, Darlings?”

Larxene rolled her eyes but Alixka blushed at the implications of his words, she knew that she was his. And she loved it.

“None, whatsoever, My Lord.”

“Get used to it, Princess!” the blonde replied, with a new mischievous grin. “Because I plan to leave many more marks on you in the future!”

“Again, do I have any say in this?”

“What do you think?” 

The brunette made another face but made no objection. For a long time they held each other close before Larxene finally pulled away from them.

“There is only so much fluff I can take!” She said. “I’m going back to my room!”

Her eyes met with Alixka’s as she left, silently reminding her of all the fun they would now have together. She blushed and couldn’t help but miss Larxene once she was gone. She turned back to her pink haired lover and sighed as he enveloped her in a firm but gentle embrace. His lips pressed against her neck and his fingers running through her hair.

“I really enjoyed tonight, Rosebud.” He whispered. “But I want you to know that I still value you...”

“I like Larxene.” She replied. “Even in her bitchyness she is amusing and…” blushing “Very attentive.”

“Really now?” He regarded her with a teasing expression. “Then perhaps I now have two Ladies of this Castle.”

“Yes.” Alixka kissed him softly. “You do. And we will both serve you with enduring loyalty. You are our leader, our superior, Lord Marluxia.”

Marluxia held her tighter, grinding his hips against her to awaken their arousal once more. She whimpered and eagerly pressed her hips against his, letting his cock slide sensuously between her thighs. It was now time for some one on one time together.

“Mmmm, that is exactly what I want to hear, Alixka.”

He wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her legs to his own, pushing into her slowly and leaning into her neck to kiss and suck at it as he began to move faster. 

“Oh yes! Ohhhh...oh Marluxia! My Superior…!”

“Yes, my darling. I am your Superior. Say it again, you know I love it.”

Her voice was a heady encouragement and he took her hands above her head as he delved deeper into her. Within moments he drowned her in yet another incredible orgasm, biting down on her visible love mark and relishing her cries that made him meet his climax soon after her.

“There was something else I wanted to discuss with you tonight, Rosebud.” he told her when they had returned from their pleasured high. “I’ve been having that strange sense again. The sense that we aren’t alone in this castle.”

“Really? Interesting.” Alixka also closed her eyes in thought. “Has this castle always belonged to the Organization?”

“I believe so.” He replied. “At least it has ever since I’ve been in the Organization. At some point soon I want you and Larxene to investigate further. She also is experiencing the same strange feeling.”

“Understood. But, it would be a little easier if I knew what I was looking for. Wait…” Alixka then remembered a conversation between Vexen and Zexion she had overheard some months ago. “A chamber…”

“Chamber?” Marluxia tilted his head with interest. “What sort of chamber?”

“I don’t know. I only heard about it in passing. Xigbar had said something to Zexion about a chamber of...waking? He had asked Vexen about it but he seemed as unsure as Zex. I didn’t think much of it at the time. It didn’t seem important.”

“Interesting nonetheless. Let that be your first clue then. But before that, there is something else you must also do soon.”

“And what is that?”

He smiled and kissed her forehead.

“Spend some time with your little artist friend.”

Alixka returned his smile, she had not been allowed to see Namine for some time now and this made her happy. And she was also looking forward to investigating this mysterious castle further with her new lover. 

~~~

Outside of the bedroom though, things were not going according to plan, at least not for Vexen. Sora proved to be no match for the Rikuplica and Marluxia was beginning to question the scientist’s motives for releasing it on Sora in the first place. Alixka was still feeling suspicious of Axel as well but knew that her suspicions would have to wait. One issue at a time.

“Vexen, the simple fact is that your project was a failure.” Marluxia said. “You’d best not disappoint us again.”

Alixka wasn’t surprised to see Vexen still topside with Larxene and Axel a few days later, but she couldn’t say that she was any happier to see him as she stood silently behind her lover as he admonished the scientist. His glowing green eyes flashed with anger and resentment.

“Disappoint YOU?!” He snapped. “How DARE you! In this Organization, you’re No. XI! I’m No. IV and I will not have you…”

Marluxia summoned his scythe and pointed it towards Vexen, making Alixka jump.

“Marluxia!” She tried to step forward but he stopped her, he knew well how to keep the scientist in line.

“Your rank is irrelevant here! I’ve been entrusted this castle and Namine by Xemnas!”

Vexen’s eyes shifted towards Alixka still standing behind the pink haired man, his arm in front of her. He took one look at a dark mark on her neck and made a sound of disgust.

“Did Xemnas entrust HER to you as well?”

“Watch your tongue, No. IV!” Marluxia said, his normally calm tone rising with anger at the obvious insult. “Defying me in any way will be seen as treason against the Organization!”

Alixka turned away as Axel and Larxene took turns playfully taunting the scientist. She still considered him a friend after all, even if he didn’t. The anger in her lover’s voice disappeared as he lowered his weapon.

“Vexen, you cannot win against Sora.”

She turned back towards Vexen, a small light of amusement came into his eyes and she knew at once what he was thinking.

“Pity to be so ignorant.” He said. “As you’re only able to see the surface of things I should not expect you to appreciate my true might.”

“Oh?” Marluxia allowed his weapon to vanish in a cloud of flower petals. “Then let us watch as you prove it.”

“Marluxia…” He raised a finger to her lips, silently ordering her to hold her tongue.

“What?”

“None of us want to be suspicious of a comrade.”

“Your insincerity is comforting.” The scientist scoffed as he disappeared. Now that he was gone, Alixka did not feel the need to conceal what she herself was now thinking.

“Marluxia, why would you say that? You know Vexen! You know his pride!”

“Your lady has a point.” Axel jumped in. “Give Vexen a challenge like that, and he’ll seriously want to eliminate Sora!” At this the pink haired Nobody merely smiled.

“That would be an unfortunate denouement.”

Alixka had not noticed Namine sitting silently in the corner of the room, she made so little noise that she might as well have been invisible. Now Marluxia approached her, signaling for Alixka to follow him. He placed a hand on the young girls shoulder.

“What do do? Your hero is soon to be wiped from existence.”

Namine did not respond but Alixka could see the fear and sorrow etched in the soft features. A sudden chill went through her as her lover continued.

“But I believe. There is a certain promise that he made you. Isn’t that right, Namine?”

The blonde lifted her head slightly and locked glances with the older girl. She understood what was required of her. Anything to get away from this place.

“Yes.”

Marluxia smiled and turned to Alixka with a slight nod. It still did not sit well with her at all but she knew that these unplesantries were necessary for a greater good. She took Namine’s hand and gently pulled her from her seat.

“Nami-dear.” She said softly. “Let’s get out of here for a while. You can sit on my bed and draw and I’ll play for you.”

~~~

The atmosphere in this room compared to the one Namine was just in was like a whole new world to her, even within the confines of her captivity. She stretched out on the soft bed and sketched away while a beautiful and dreamy melody filled the air. Alixka could see the change in the younger girl; though still obviously melancholy, she seemed a little more at ease now, maybe even peaceful. Namine turned to her with a small and uncertain smile.

“Yes, Namine?” Alixka asked.

When Namine didn’t answer, she rose from the harp and went over to her. On her drawing pad she had drawn a picture of the older girl, as she was now, playing her harp. The brunette smiled.

“You’re a very good artist, Nami-dear.” She said. “Wait ‘till Sora sees all the drawings you’ve done of him.”

The blonde lowered her head and sighed. She was beginning to wonder if seeing Sora was what she really wanted, if Sora could even make his way to her. Alixka could sense the girls apprehension and smiled again.

“Don’t think about what they said. I’m sure Sora will be fine.”

But her words only seemed to add to Namine’s anxiety. She squeezed her eyes shut as tears began to force their way out of them. This was the second time Alixka had known Nobodies to cry and it both touched and confused her. She sat next to the younger girl.

“He won’t forget.” She sniffed. “No matter what. Sora will never fully forget her.”

“Never forget Kairi, you mean?”

“Yes. I can turn cards into charms and form memories from nothing but I cannot make him fully forget. The memories of Kairi will always be in Sora’s heart no matter what I do. I am Kairi’s shadow.”

More tears began to fall like tiny pearls down her face. Alixka felt sympathy but what could she really do? If Namine was the shadow of Kairi then she was certainly the shadow of Kalai. She wondered if Kalai also had someone she deeply cared for as well. Someone who would brave an ominous castle to save her if they could.

All she could think to do was hold her tightly while she had her cry, as she did so another memory flashed in her mind. A memory of someone comforting her as well. Or better yet, someone comforting Kalai.

“Don’t cry, Namine.” She whispered. “It’s not so bad. I promise. Sora will be here soon. Don’t you want that?”

Something rolled around in the pocket of her coat, Alixka slid one hand into it and remembered what it was. Nail polish she had picked up on her last mission in Twilight Town. She glanced at Namine’s little feet and hands and smiled. Kneeling down, the older girl took out the nail polish and began painting the blonde’s toes a pearly pink color. Namine watched her curiously, wiping her tears away and smiling a little.

“Namine, there was something I wanted to ask you. Is that okay?” The blonde nodded. “You can see Kairi’s memories, can’t you? Can you see things that she’s seen...involving Kalai?”

“Some.” She replied. “But not a lot. Kairi only knew your Somebody when she was still a little girl. But she liked you a lot. You two lived together at one point. But that’s all I know. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.” Alixka smiled. “Memories of my past life are still hazy to me. So anything is better than nothing.”

“It’s...my turn to ask you a question.” Namine said. “If you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind at all, Nami-dear.” She took the younger girls hands and began painting them as well. “Ask away.”

“It’s...about Marluxia…” The blonde lowered her head again but Alixka continued to smile at her. “Alixka...do you...love Marluxia?”

Her violet eyes widened at the boldness of the question. Alixka recalled how Marluxia had asked her how did she know that she didn’t have a heart. It had been something she had thought about quite a bit but somehow she never really came to a satisfactory conclusion.

Certainly they had become very close in the last year and had shared many moments of intimacy. But did she truly love him? And if she did have a heart, would she feel any differently? Her silent hesitation made Namine’s anxiousness return.

“I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have asked…”

“No, no. It’s fine, Nami-dear. I’m glad you asked.” She paused her nail painting and thought for a moment. “Truthfully, I’m not even sure if we as Nobodies even have the ability to love. But…” Blushing a little. “If we could, I believe that I would love him. Yes. I would.”

Namine smiled in spite of herself. “He’s kind to you. He doesn’t treat you like he treats the others. But I...I’m still afraid of him. I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing, Namine.” Alixka replied. “You can’t help how you feel. I wish I could give you better advice besides just telling you not to be afraid and to do what he says.”

“Do you always do what he says?” At this Alixka grinned mischievously.

“I came to visit you that night after he told me not to, didn’t I?”

They both giggled. The older girl finished painting the younger one’s nails with another smile.

“Look how pretty your hands and feet are now!” She exclaimed. “I bet Sora will think so too!”

Namine blushed as she admired her manicure and pedicure. It was such a sweet moment between the two girls that they both sighed a little when there was a knock at the door. The fun was now over. Alixka called for Marluxia to come in.

“I’m so sorry to spoil the fun.” He said. “But Namine, it’s time for you to rejoin us.”

Immediately the tiny bit of joy that had lit up her face vanished like a cloud blocking the sun. She rose to her feet and slowly walked over to the pink haired Nobody. Alixka watched her sadly before going to her lover’s side.

“Go and join Axel. I’ll be there in a moment.” When she had obeyed him, Marluxia turned his attention to Alixka. He grinned at her. “What a difference two hours makes. She seems a little more cheerful, wouldn’t you say?”

“Please don’t be too hard on her, Marluxia.” Alixka whispered. “She’s afraid of you. Please have patience with her…” A light blush rose to her face. “As you had patience with me.”

His grin became wider as he cupped her cheek.

“You are so kind, Rosebud. But don’t worry, I won’t be cruel to her. So long as she behaves. In the meantime…” He waved his hand to Larxene, who was standing behind him. “You two have some searching to do. Start on the first floor and check every floor except the tenth. That’s where Sora currently is.”

~~~

“It would be just our luck if this so called ‘chamber of waking’ is on the tenth fucking floor! EXACTLY where we CAN’T go!”

Nine floors. Several hours. Nothing. Larxene and Alixka wandered one of the halls of the ninth floor, at this point rather aimlessly. The blonde groaned and summoned her knives in a fit of frustration. 

“Fuck this! Let’s just go to the tenth floor! We can take Sora on a second time can’t we?”

“You know damn well that’s a bad idea!” Alixka replied. “Besides, I think it’s now Vexen’s turn with the boy.” At this her companion laughed.

“Oh really? Then we’d be doing the half-baked blabbermouth a favor!”

“Does Vexen even fight?” The brunette asked, although she had been in the Organization for more than a year and had gone on missions with the scientist a number of times, she had never seen him engage in combat or even summon a weapon. If the need to fight ever came on their missions, she usually took care of it and he had no problem with that. Larxene laughed again.

“He can fight. But he hardly ever does. As his title suggests, he’s an ice man. I wonder how badly Sora’s gonna beat his ass.”

“Can’t imagine it would be a fair fight for Vexen.” Alixka shrugged. “Maybe we should go check up on him?”

“Fuck no!” The blonde scoffed. “I was just kidding. He wants to act all high and mighty, let him. Let him get his ass handed to him by the keyblade master. Not my problem!”

“Then let’s keep looking for this chamber then.” The brunette sighed. “How long have we been on this floor?”

“Too fucking long, that’s how long!” The blonde kicked at a wall. “How do we even know this shit is real?”

“How should I know? I initially heard about it while eavesdropping on Zex and Vexen. And Zex in turn heard about it from Xigbar.”

“It would be just our luck then if Xigbar was just fucking around. Like he always is.”

“But Larxene…” Alixka said thoughtfully. “Marluxia mentioned that you also sensed another presence in this castle.”

“I said that I felt something weird here!” Larxene snapped. “I didn’t say shit about ghosts!”

_ Well, neither did I.  _ Alixka thought, but she held her tongue. She was thinking about what to say next when she suddenly felt an extremely sharp, sick feeling vibrate all over her body. Larxene also seemed to feel something but not as strongly as the brunette. They both looked at each other for a moment before nodding to each other.

“We should return up top.” The blonde said. “It would take forever to explore all the rooms in this damn castle and we don’t have that kind of time. Not now anyway.”

“So you felt that too?” The brunette murmured. “What was that horrible feeling?”

“Fuck if I know. I’m just personally tired of this wild goose chase. This chamber is probably just more of Xigbar’s bullshit. But hey! If you still want to look, why not ask Vexen yourself when he’s done with Sora. If he’s even still in one piece!”

~~~

When they reappeared in Alixka’s room some time later, they were surprised to see Lexaeus there. Larxene made a face of disgust.

“Lab rats belong in the basement!” She scoffed. “What are you doing…”

“I came to speak with Alixka. It need not concern you.” He replied, hardly deigning to conceal his disdain for the blonde. Alixka turned to her.

“It will only be a moment.” She said. “Please don’t tell Marluxia. Please!”

The Savage Nymph raised an eyebrow to her companion and Alixka sighed, pulling a twenty munny piece out of her coat pocket and dropping it into her hand.

“Five minutes!” said the blonde. “Then if anyone comes in here, it’s on you!” She vanished and the brunette sighed.

“I know I still haven’t come to visit you guys.” She confessed. “But I had plans to come tonight. There was something I wanted to ask Vexen. Do you know if he’s come back?”

The expression of hard indifference that The Silent Hero often wore softened into a look Alixka could not understand, but it appeared solemn. Almost sad.

“Lexaeus? What’s wrong?”

“Vexen...” He began. “...is no more.”

“WHAT?!” So THAT was what the sick feeling had been! She collapsed on the floor in shock, finding it difficult to breathe. “No, no! It can’t be!”

Vexen had not always been her favorite member, and his strong disapproval of Marluxia had made her feel awful. But he was still a loyal member of the Organization and one of the first members to welcome her into her new life. His first, rather kind words still rang in her ears:  _ “I look forward to welcoming you into our ranks. I’m sure in time you will develop into a most valuable member.” _

And she had. Even when Vexen had often lost his patience with her, even when he insulted her, he still always meant well for her. And now he was gone with no hope of ever regaining his heart. Damned to nothingness. Her eyes began to burn with tears.

“How...how did it happen?”

Lexaeus did not respond. He seemed to be deep in thought, as always.

“WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?!” She asked a little louder. “Who’s responsible for Vexen’s…”

“Yo, Alixka!”

The brunette turned around to see Axel standing behind her, she turned around again to see that Lexaeus had vanished. She glared at the redhead.

“What do you want? I’m busy!”

“Your lord has requested your presence.” His smirk made Alixka clench her teeth in frustration and anger.

“Fine!” She said. “Did you know about Vexen?”

“I did.”

“Do you know what happened?”

Axel hesitated. “Vexen was struck down by the keyblade master. He was truthfully no match for Sora.”

“Sora?” The brunette gave a sad sigh. “Larxene was right. He was no match for Sora after all.”

Why had Marluxia insisted that Vexen challenge Sora?! For the first time ever, she felt herself actually becoming angry at him. But she would have to confront him later. She glanced up at Axel and moved quickly past him.

~~~

“Why so glum, Ali?” Larxene stretched out on her bed and looked up at her, speaking to her for once without a shred of sarcasm.

Alixka stared up at the cloud-like canopy of her bed, biting her lip to suppress anymore tears. It was much later that night. She had been allowed to spend a little more time with Namine but it had done little to console her. She turned to the blonde but said nothing.

“You should be happy! Soon Sora will meet Namine. After that it’s all gravy from there! I can’t wait to see everyone’s face back home when we return with the keyblade master under our control and Marluxia as the new Superior!”

The brunette did not respond. Truthfully she knew that she ought to be happy but no matter how hard she tried, she could not stop thinking about Vexen. How he would now never have a heart and how he would never be able to unlock the truth that they would certainly find once they took over the Organization.

And she still could not forgive Marluxia for essentially ordering his death. 

The door opened and their lover walked in. Larxene grinned but Alixka for once did not seem happy to see him. She remained still on the bed, still looking up at the canopy and giving no response when Marluxia stretched out on the bed between her and the blonde. At once he could see that she was troubled but when he reached out to touch her hair, she flinched.

“Rosebud?” 

“Why…” she whispered, so softly he had to strain to hear. “Why, Marluxia?”

“Why what?” she didn’t respond right away but turned on her side so her back was facing him and Larxene. “Alixka?”

“Vexen…”

“You’re still feeling pity for that blabbermouth?” Larxene rolled her eyes. “Is THAT what this is about? Give me a break Ali…”

“Stop it!” Alixka snapped, biting back an influx of tears. “Even if you didn’t like him, he was one of the few who helped me in my first days in the Organization!”

Larxene gave Marluxia a certain look that he understood well. He pulled the brunette into his arms, holding her tightly against her struggling.

“And you!” glaring up at her male lover. “You know how Vexen was! Why would you have him go after Sora? And now he’s gone! Sora killed him!”

“Sora?” Marluxia looked at her with surprise. “What are you talking about? Sora didn’t strike Vexen down.”

“What?” she pulled away from him, looking just as surprised. “But I thought…”

“Sora didn’t take out Vexen.” Larxene moved a little closer to them, tilting her head with confusion. “Axel did. Who told you that?”

_ AXEL!? _ It was all Alixka could do not to jump up with a mixture of shock, rage and confusion. But mostly confusion. Why would Axel strike down Vexen? What would be the point of that? The more she thought of it, the more confused she became. Almost to the point of forgetting her anger. Almost!

“Vexen tried to take out Sora but in the end Axel took out him.” Larxene continued. “He may have been nice to you in the past but…”

“It is odd, I will say that.” Marluxia spoke up before the blonde could say anything potentially harsh. “Vexen really had no part in our plans besides that pitiful replica. Alixka, who told you that Sora had eliminated him?”

“I...uh...just assumed. Cause we were joking about it earlier.”

She couldn’t tell them of his lie just yet. Especially since it was Larxene’s idea to let him in on the coup. If Axel had his own motives for doing it, it would be unwise to expose him just yet. Not until she could figure out what his deal was.

But now Alixka was beginning to feel herself calming down, with a strange new resolve that their coup succeed. She owed it to Vexen to seek out this knowledge that Xemnas was keeping hidden. Scholar that he was, it would have been what he wanted.

She took a deep breath and Larxene came up from behind her, pulling her dark hair to the side and pressing her lips to her neck, making her jump. 

“Marluxia is right.” she said. “You do think too much. Try to relax.”

“Yes, Rosebud.” Marluxia murmured, tilting her chin up to meet her gaze with his, and her lips with his as well. “How about we do something to make you relax?”

“Or better yet,” with a devious little smirk pulling at the blonde’s lips. “We do something to make you  _ exhausted _ ?”

A deep chuckle rumbled through Alixka and her gaze was brought back to Marluxia’s. His eyes gave her a look that was both alluring and concerned at the same time. She understood and nodded, silently telling them to have their way with her. The concern in his eyes quickly vanished as his fingertips traced down her cheeks and across her lips before kissing her, lingering softly with his tongue gently ran across her lower lip. All the while Larxene wrapped her arms around the brunette and pulled down the zipper of her coat, pulling it off and wasting no time toying with her breasts. 

“You guys…” Alixka let her head fall back against the blonde and her Marluxia took the opportunity to lay siege to her neck, trailing kisses all along there and further down. “Guys...a...ah!”

Her coat was discarded and her lovers wasted no time removing their clothes as well. She was pushed back on the bed and whimpered when Marluxia took her hands and positioned them behind her back, sitting behind her while Larxene watched them. Her sharp green eyes fixed upon Alixka like a hawk on it’s prey.

“Hmmm? How shall I exhaust you tonight, Princess?” she asked coyly. “Any ideas, Marluxia?”

“Hmmm.” he held her tighter, tracing teasing circles against her breasts. She bit her lip at the sensations and quickly found his hand grabbing her chin. “No holding back, Alixka. We will not have it.” In reprimand, he pinched one of her nipples and grinned at the sound that spilled from her lips. He grinned. “I’ll leave it up to you, Larxene. I’m sure however you decide to torment her will be absolutely wonderful. Isn’t that right, Rosebud?”

Alixka blushed at the way her lovers spoke about her, as if she were a precious doll that they were about to play with. Normally she may have been offended but in a mind clouded with desire, all she could think of was how much her body was craving their touch. She jumped at the feeling of a vine binding her hands, making both of her attractive captors laugh.

“She is completely at your mercy now.” Marluxia whispered, loud enough for Larxene to hear but deliberately into Alixka’s ear. “And mine as well. Are you ready to make her insane with ecstasy?”

“No need to ask me twice!”

The blonde giggled as she summoned her knives, making the brunette flinch a little. Her male lover held her a little tighter to his chest.

“Torment her, but do not hurt her.”

“It won’t hurt...much…”

Alixka’s eyes widened at this statement and in another moment she felt the sharp tips of the blades softly graze against her skin. She sighed at the sensation, not as bad as she feared but then Larxene applied a little more pressure and caused her to squirm.

“Don’t look at him!” She smirked. “I’m the one playing with you!”

“Do as she says, Darling.”

Her violet eyes, filled with lust and anticipation met those green ones filled with malice and excitement. Again she felt the sharp tips against her skin, a little harder this time. It was just enough pressure be a little painful but extremely tantalizing. Larxene continued in this way for a few minutes while Marluxia held her in place, lavishing her neck. She moaned at the attention her captors gave her and began to relish the way they looked at her with desire and intention.

“This is fun.” The blonde whispered. “But I think I want to make her moan a little louder…”

Alixka watched as she pressed the knives against her thighs before pausing, as if concentrating on something. Then she realized what Larxene had in mind and tried to jerk away too late. A few very small jolts of lightning coursed through her, making her squeal at the sudden feeling. Her blonde captor giggled and condured the jolts once again, and again. Each small enough not to cause harm but enough to stimulate and soon she found herself becoming more and more aroused.

More small jolts continued to tantalize Alixka as she slowly turned her glance to Marluxia’s, the look she wore was very enticing to his eyes. His hips rolled into her own as his hand slowly moved down her body and slipped between her legs.

“Isn’t she beautiful like this, Larxene?” He whispered as his fingers slowly began to toy with the brunette. “Touch her there.” Shifting his eyes towards her breasts. “Let’s see how she responds.”

She rested her head against her pink haired man and whimpered at the thought of what was coming. The soft but sharp point of the blades against her nipples was enough to make her shake but a sudden jolt made her writhe fiercely in her bondage.

“Larxene!” She cried out, crying louder at her lovers fingers moving faster between her legs.

“Oh? You like that, Princess?” The blonde teased. “Should I do it again?”

“Do it again.” Marluxia answered for her Alixka. Her head fell back and rested on his shoulder as she cried out again at being shocked and toyed with. He nipped at her neck, swirling his tongue around the marks he was making.

“Enough of that...please…” Alixka whispered, trembling at her pink haired lover’s sexy laughter vibrating in her ear.

“You heard her.” He said to the blonde, pulling the brunette into his lap.. “It’s my turn.”

Larxene sat back a little and was treated to a very enticing scene of Marluxia slowly teasing Alixka, his hands roving up and down her trembling body and he kissed and licked at her neck. He moved her body against his own in a way that she could feel his cock rub against her over and over again. The sight of the brunette moaning and writhing in the pink haired man's arms caused an involuntary pulse to throb between the blonde’s legs and she found her hand sliding down her body to where she was throbbing, whimpering as she touched herself to the erotic scene before her.

“Such beautiful agony.” Marluxia whispered to the brunette as he continued toying with her, his blue eyes fixed upon the blonde next to them. “I want to drown both of you in it, Darling.”

Larxene bit her lip and eagerly moved back to them, meeting Alixka’s lips with hers greedily. A sharp gasp broke their kiss as the blonde pinched and twisted her nipples. All this stimulation was almost too much for her and she tried to move her hips in a way that Marluxia would impale her but she was quickly reprimanded for it.

“Not yet.” He hissed, holding her tightly while he teased her nearly to the point of climax. Only for him to let go of her and cause the blonde to laugh viciously.

“And you were worried about me breaking her!” she grinned as she gazed at the captive girl’s hot and bothered state, making her all the more aroused. “Looks like she’ll come at any moment.”

“That was my punishment for her.” He chuckled, placing a gentle kiss on the brunette’s cheek. “Care to give her a punishment of your own?”

Her eyes immediately flashed with delight as they descended on the lovely captive. Larxene brought her back into a sitting position and ran a slow hand down her body, relishing the soft sounds coming from her lips.

“Did he tease you too much, Princess?” She asked in a mocking tone, getting only a shy whimper in response. “Well now it’s my turn again and you better not come.”

At this point, Alixka was unsure if she would be able to obey that command but she nodded all the same. The blonde grinned as she parted her legs and knelt between them, those sharp green eyes not leaving her for a moment. She felt her captors tongue brush against her heated folds and she almost slammed her legs together in reflex but the blonde kept them in place as she ran her tongue again against the silky, delicate flesh.

Moans spilled from the brunette’s mouth like water. It felt incredible but was extremely intense. Already brought nearly to the edge by her pink haired lover, Alixka now felt herself practically there with the way Larxene used her tongue to taunt her.

“Larxene…” She whispered as blonde continued to lavish her between her legs. There was no worded response, only the gentle grazing of teeth against her clit. Pleasure shot up her body and she cried out again. Shaking and gyrating against her blonde captor in a frenzied attempt to hold back her orgasm to no avail. Marluxia held her tightly as climax washed over her.

At once she realized what had happened and at once realized what was going to happen now. She blushed furiously and bit her lip while her two captors chuckled devilishly with thoughts of what to do next.

“I...I’m sorry…” The brunette whimpered. “I...didn’t mean to...”

“Oh, my poor little Rosebud.” Marluxia whispered kindly even while his eyes flashed with sinister intention. “Don’t worry, the next time you come will be even better than that but…” Kissing her deeply and deliberately. “We won’t give that to you for quite some time. Now…” Looking directly into her violet eyes. “It’s Larxene’s turn.”

Larxene felt a small ache throb inside of her at his words. She watched as he kissed the brunette slowly for what seemed like a long time before pulling away and approaching her. An involuntary shiver ran through her at the sight of those intense blue eyes.

“You’re mine now.”

He lifted her up to her feet before grabbing her possessively. It was all Larxene could do not to moan as well as he began lavishing her neck and running his hands down her body, intentionally stopping right where she most desired his touch. Alixka blushed at the scene before her. Her eyes locked with those of the pink haired man as he slowly caressed and teased their blonde lover.

“See how our darling Alixka is watching you?” He whispered to her as he pressed two fingers gently against her clit. “She’s becoming eager again, it’s a shame she won’t have any release soon. Isn’t that right, Larxene?”

The blonde only whimpered in response. Marluxia grabbed her chin and brought her gaze to his, smiling before his lips crashed against hers in an urgent and playful kiss. Larxene moaned into the kiss and tried to pull his arms around her but he stopped her at once, grabbing her wrists and pulling them behind her. He continued kissing her freverently, one hand firmly keeping her hands behind her back and the other toying with her between her legs. Alixka watch all of this, trembling and desperate to feel what the blonde was feeling.

“Alixka is getting pretty hot and bothered, wouldn’t you say?” She murmured, trying to give her tone it’s usual malice even as she found herself melting under the pink haired man’s attentions.

“Yes.” He agreed softly, grinding his hips into her leg. Smirking a little when Larxene bit her lip at the feeling his erection brushing sensually against her. Marluxia brought her hand to him slowly. “Touch me.”

She blushed as she began to stroke him, hesitantly at first but then with more confidence. He groaned and began to gently thrust his hips into her hand as he fondled her breasts and clit. Alixka let out a long and exasperated moan.

“Please!” She cried out, earning her the dark, delicious laughter of both of her lovers.

“She said ‘please’!” Marluxia grinned before kissing his blonde lover’s next playfully. “Maybe we should take her out of her misery?”

“Fuck no!” Larxene snapped. “Where’s the fun in that?!”

“You’re right.” He knelt beside the blonde and ran his hands up her body, turning back to Alixka with a devilish smirk. “She wants us both soooooo badly. It’s adorable.”

The brunette bit her lip and glared at her male lover, the pulsing ache between her own legs now impossible to ignore. She watched as Marluxia pressed his face against Larxene, the high moans that escaped the blonde told her exactly what he was doing to her. Another pulsing ache coursed through her and she groaned in frustration.

“You both are very cruel, do you know that?” The blonde laughed mischievously at this.

“Are we? Well then maybe we shou...ah! Oh fuck...ahhh!”

Two seductive fingers slipped into her as the pink haired man continued to pleasure her with his tongue, letting his fingers slide in and out of her at the same pace. Her knees buckled a little under his attentions, sharp green eyes fixed on the captive brunette even as she felt herself moving closer and closer to her own release.

“Good.” Marluxia away from his teasings to give Larxene a teasing grin. “Now, I want you to look at Alixka as you climax.” He turned to Alixka and continued in his low and seductive tone. “I want her to feel what I’m doing to you through your eyes.”

He then quickly went back to his task, causing the blonde to gasp out and bite her lip. As if he knew what she was doing, he grabbed her hips roughly and trailed his nails down her thighs, drawing out a long, surprised moan from her lips.

“Don’t you dare go silent.”

“Damnit Marluxia….”

The pink haired man reprimanded her by conjuring a vine that also bound her hands behind her back as well. Larxene glared down at him. She was supposed to be one of the captors tonight, not a captive herself! He chuckled.

“Don’t be like that. You know you like it. You know you’ve thought about what I do to Alixka to drive her to insanity.”

That may be true, but he was not supposed to know that! She clenched her teeth, now determined not to give him what he wanted if only out of playful spite. He understood and trailed his nails down her body once more, this time with more pressure while flicking his tongue against her clit faster.

“Ahh...damnit!”

“Am I thrilling you? Do you want to scream? Don’t hold back. Look at my Rosebud and make her writhe with your voice.”

Marluxia continued his sexy assult, relishing how her hips began to shake against him. Though he could not see, he knew that this was also driving his brunette lover crazy. They had been teasing her a great deal already. But they were not done yet.

Another sharp cry echoed throughout the room at the trailing of his nails down Larxene’s body again. It was too much and his name flew out of of the blonde’s lips loudly and desperately in a way that vibrated through Alixka violently as she watched her female lover experience what seemed to be a mind shattering climax. Their eyes never once left each other and tears began to form in her own from how eagerly she craved their attention.

“Damnit!” She almost shouted as she began to rock back and forth. “If you continue tormenting me like this I’m going to lose my fucking mind!”

“How vulgar.” Marluxia chided teasingly as he to his feet and made the vine binding Larxene disappear. 

“What is it that you even want, Princess?”

Alixka glared at them, they knew exactly what she wanted.

“Well?” Larxene asked again as she sat next to the captive brunette. “What do you want, Ali?”

She whimpered and pressed her body against the blonde desperately. Larxene decided to be a little kind to the starved girl and teased her nipples while she greedily kissed her neck. Her skin was burning hot and glazed gently with sweat. Maybe they really were cruel for her current state. No, not really.

“What shall we do to you now?”

“Please…”

“Please what, Alixka?”

Alixka pressed her body harder against her blonde captor, savoring the physical contact while knowing it would not be enough. Larxene giggled and kissed her neck again.

“Use your words now, Darling.”

Tease her AND use Marluxia’s nickname for her? This was too much. In reflex she nipped at the blonde neck, earning her a sharp squeak in surprise. But instead of getting angry, the blonde only giggled more. After all there was only so much she could do in her current state of bondage.

“You are sooooo much fun like this!” She kissed her again, this time on the lips. Alixka allowed this and enjoyed how Larxene allowed her lips to linger against her own, her fingertips tracing across her fevered skin.

Marluxia watched this scene eagerly, moving closer to his brunette lover to lavish kisses and touches of his own. He played with her hair with one hand while the other crept slowly up her leg. Her violet glance was turned to meet his as one finger very gently ran up her inner thigh. Larxene held Alixka tightly as her male lover traced circles along her inner thigh at an agonizingly slow pace. He ran his tongue down her neck and trailed it down to where his finger has been.

“You never told her what you wanted next, Alixka.” He whispered before sinking his teeth into her thigh and making her jump. She whimpered a little as he held her gaze for a few moments. He grabbed her hips and continued. “Tell us.”

“I..want...I need to be fucked. Please…”

“Mmmm?” He rolled his hips sensually into her own, drawing out her moan just as slowly. He smirked. “ _ Need? _ You  _ need _ me to fuck you, Darling?”

“Yes…”

“Do you _ need _ to feel me inside of you?”

“I...I do!”

“Do you  _ need _ me to make you scream just like I did to Larxene?”

“Yes!”

“Are you that desperate for my touch?”

“I AM!” His hips grinding against her cause her body to shake with frustration in a way the blonde found very enticing.

“Do you need his cock pounding you into the bed until your screams echo throughout this castle?”

“Damnit you two!”

“Do you want me so badly, my darling?”

“YES!!”

“Should I give her what she wants, Larxene?”

“MARLUXIA!!!!”

Alixka was almost sobbing at this point, so close but so far away. She glanced up at her male lover, eyes wet with desperation. Finally he complied and gently parted her legs. Her cries when he pushed into her were intoxicating and he knew none of them would last much longer. He allowed the vine binding Alixka’s arms to vanish and she eagerly wrapped them around her lover’s neck, her fingers entwined into his luscious pink tresses.

Larxene held her from behind, becoming quite hot at the sight of her beautiful male lover ravishing her lovely female lover. She didn’t even notice how she was stroking herself again at the enticing scene, soft moans spilling from her lips that she muffled by kissing Alixka’s neck greedily.

His thrusts became faster and more frenzied as they came close to their peak. The brunette’s pleasured cries worked as encouragement to her own self pleasure. Another fervent thrust sent Alixka into a furious storm ecstasy, her body clenching around him as they both were engulfed by their orgasm, the blonde not to far behind them, moaning and resting her head against her female lover as she met her climax as well.

The three Nobodies glanced at each other for a long time, as if to wonder if what had transpired between them had really happened. Marluxia was the first to break the silence, chuckling as he pulled both of the female Nobodies to his chest and fell back on the bed. Larxene tried to pull away but neither of her lovers would have that.

“You’re going to learn to like this!” Alixka smirked, nuzzling into her. “Mark my words!”

“Ughhh!” 

“Don’t take too much offence, Rosebud.” Marluxia grinned. “Larxene is the same way with me. But you’re right, in time we will show her how lovely the softer side of this is.”

“Shut up!” 

But her resistance seemed to only encourage her lovers to hold her tighter. Soon enough though she stopped fighting them and even began to relax in the arms of the brunette. This was completely new to her and the feeling only increased when Marluxia wrapped his arms around them both. The Savage Nymph had never really experienced anything considered warmth since coming to this existence and it was very odd but not bad. She actually found it kind of enjoyable. 

Not that she would ever say so aloud, and soon she was pulling away from them. Wrapping her coat around her body and making her way to the door, but not before allowing herself to give her lovers one last kiss. 

“Big day tomorrow. Sora should be making his way to the twelfth floor soon, and after that…”

Her mischievous laughter echoed as she shut the door and left. And once again Alixka found herself missing her. Marluxia could sense this and held her tighter, kissing her forehead.

“Rosebud, I understand your connection you had with Vexen, your connection to all of the senior members. I understand better than you probably think.” 

She glanced up curiously at him, how could he really know? 

“It is pitiable what happened to him but I assure you it was not on my order. I don’t know what Axel was thinking.”

She sighed, and placed her head upon his chest. Even if she believed him, this certainly did nothing to calm her suspicions about the redhead. But she didn’t want to think about them now, especially when it seemed like their plans were so close to succeeding. Once Sora and Namine finally met, what more could Axel possibly do to ruin things?

~~~

“And where have you been?”

Larxene turned around to glare at the redheaded nobody who was standing behind her with a sly smirk on his face.

“None of your beeswax!”

“Oh? Did you forget that it was your turn to watch Namine an hour ago?”

“So what if I did? I was busy!”

Axel took a few steps towards her, eyeing the marks of passion left on her neck and collarbone and shook his head.

“Busy indeed.”

“Fuck off!”She stomped pass him before making a face. “I’ll go watch the brat as soon as I shower and change coats. In the meantime go back to her. If that’s too much for you then go fetch one of the lab rats to watch her!”

He watched as she walked down the halls and smirked again before returning to his post.

“Can you three possibly be more tasteless?” He thought to himself. “Betraying the Organization, but then having group sex without me? How rude.”

~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last smutty chapter for a while, I have nothing more to say for myself. Also why is there not a harp version of Namine's theme anywhere??


	19. Purpose and Sorrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Twenty four hour time skip from the previous chapter and SHIT. HITS. THE. FAN! Betrayal by Axel sends Marluxia’s coup in a downward spiral. Prompting Alixka to search for any possible way to preserve their plans (and their lives) before Sora reaches the end of the thirteenth floor.  
> What happens after Alixka wakes up in the first segment can be found in my Chasing Hearts Awakening one shot collection. Nothing important, just more smut. XD  
> Warning: This chapter contains slight disturbing imagery, nothing too intense to change tags but it fucked me up writing it so it may fuck some up reading it.

~~~

_ His harsh tone forced her to bite the inside of her lip to stop herself for further crying, but her heart was still crying. It was breaking and even if she did not yet realize it, his heart was breaking as well. _

_ When he was sure she was still listening to him, he took her hands into his and softened his look. This wasn’t right. This was supposed to be a wonderful night for her, only to have her joy taken away by someone elses pettiness. And how could her mother be so blind?  To not see how her husband’s cruel apathy was destroying her sense of worth? He would not have it. _

_ “Miss Kalai, listen to me.” He sighed. “Some people are incapable of appreciating something precious when it’s right in front of them. They blame others for their own poor actions and end up causing hurt to those who deserve it the least.” _

_ Kalai glanced up at him, she didn’t really understand what he was saying but listened nonetheless.  _

_ “Your father is a fool to not see what a treasure he has in his eldest child. Any other man would be proud to have you as his daughter, Miss.” _

_ “Are you so sure about that?” _

_ “Absolutely. You are intelligent, gifted and kind. And if you were my daughter…” _

_ No. He was getting ahead of himself and was coming dangerously close to revealing the truth to her, something he and her mother had promised they could never do. At least not while her husband still lived. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths to compose himself, suddenly placing both of his hands on her face in a firm but gentle grasp. _

_ “Dilan?” _

_ “If you were my daughter.” He continued slowly. “I would be the happiest man in the world.” _

Another dream, more like a nightmare. She knew it was such but it still took Alixka a few moments to recall where she was; in the safety of her warm bed, in her room, with the lord of this castle laying beside her...

~~~

“That voice came back to me last night. While I was sleeping.”

Marluxia rested on the large white bed while Alixka plucked random notes on her instrument, not really paying attention to it as she was listening to him speak. Her fingers paused and she turned to him.

“Have you figured out who is calling to you?”

The pink haired man sighed as he turned his body to face her, a look of sadness, or anything other than sadism or flirtation, was a rare thing in The Graceful Assassin. She rose from her place at the harp to sit beside him.

“I can’t help but feel like I will realize who it is only after I return to being a Somebody.” He said. “I can’t even remember my name.”

She gazed at him with sympathy. In the last few days Alixka found herself caring more and more for Marluxia, and Larxene as well, something she never imagined would happen. The very quirks in them she once found so bewildering she now found alluring. She placed a gentle hand on his head and began to stroke his hair.

“And what about your feeling that we aren’t alone in this castle?”

“It’s become stronger.” He replied. “I think...it has something to do with the Keyblade. I felt it when I first encountered Roxas, but now…” He paused for a moment.

“Marluxia?”

“One thing at a time though.” He continued. “Once Sora is in my grasp and once power has fully shifted to me, the three of us are going to return to this castle and get to the bottom of this. But the Keyblade’s power, it must be mine if we are to succeed.”

Alixka understood. And truthfully she was now becoming more and more curious about this so called “Chamber of Waking.” But in the next moment, Marluxia changed the topic.

“I’ve also been thinking about those reports in that book. And about your possible family.” He said.

“Oh?”

“You told me about your dream. Where you were crying about your father hating you and someone was about to tell you something about him before you woke up.”

“Ye..yes…” She bit her lip at the recollection and a sharp pain went off in her stomach.

“This has been something I’ve thought about for a while but…” His intense blue gaze met hers. “What if your father was one of the apprentices in Radiant Garden.”

“Huh?!”

“The first report, it talks about you becoming an apprentice and the writer is obviously your father. The tone is a far cry from that of hate, and he writes as though he is at your side on a regular basis.”

“That’s...true…honestly I’ve thought about that possibility as well. The person who hates me, may be a stepparent. It sounds so much like the fairy tale I would read to the young Kairi.” This was another memory that had recently returned to her, with the help of Namine. Her lover chuckled at this.

“The point I’m trying to make, Darling, is this: the first six members of this Organization were all apprentices in Radiant Garden. If your father truly was an apprentice than that would mean…”

Alixka’s eyes widened to the size of violet saucers, her mouth agape with realization. She struggled to say something more but she was at a loss for words. Something like this had crossed her mind in the past but she had never given thought to it. But she had no further time to think more on it because as she opened her mouth to say something the door slammed open. Larxene barged in, her face blooming with rage.

“Good, you two aren’t fucking! We’ve got a BIG problem!”

Marluxia and Alixka quickly rose to their feet as the blonde stormed across the room, cursing.

“THAT FUCKING FUCKER AXEL!” She shouted.

“What’s happened?!”

“FUCKING FUCK!”

“LARXENE!!”

“He let the bird out of the cage! Namine is missing!”

A feeling of sickness immediately washed over Alixka. She knew that he could not be trusted and her feelings now proved valid in the worst way possible. Even though she had finally expressed her thoughts to Marluxia, he had also brushed her off similar to how Larxene had. Axel had eliminated Vexen, as odd as that had been it now meant that he was now in on it with them. After all, Xemnas would hardly forgive him for taking out his chief researcher on the Replica Program unless he was also an undisputed traitor, which he wasn’t.

But this was no time for vindication. Namine was needed to lure Sora into Marluxia’s control. Without her they had nothing and they knew it. Alixka gave Marluxia a worried look which he immediately shot down.

“We will find her!” He said. “She could not have gotten far and there are only so many places in this castle she could have wandered off to.”

“What if she comes into contact with Sora?”

“Then all the better! His connection to her will only be strengthened by her presence. He is unlikely to stand in my way if she does not allow it.”

“But…”

“Enough, Alixka!”

He grabbed her hand roughly as all three of them left the room into the hallway. Of course there was no sign of Axel.

“Larxene, you go and search for Namine. Bring her back here. If you happen to encounter Sora, you know what to do.”

“With pleasure!” She grinned as she summoned her knives. “And what will you two do?”

At once Marluxia summoned his scythe in a flurry of petals, he gave Alixka a certain look that she understood well. In the next second, her spear appeared in her hand.

“We will deal with the traitor.”

~~~

Wherever Axel had gone to hide, he had done so well. All through the first eleven floors of the castle and the twelfth basement, they could not find him. They did not dwell long in any one place, knowing that time was not on their side. Sora was surely at the end of the twelfth floor by now, they would have to return to the thirteenth soon to meet him there. And they still needed Namine.

“Forgive me, Alixka.” Marluxia said to her when they re-emerged on the thirteenth floor.

“Forgive you? For what?”

“You were right about Axel.” He replied. “He was not on our side after all. And now because of him both of our pawns are out of our grasp.”

“Don’t talk like that!” She chided. “That’s not like you at all! We will find them!”

No. They HAD to find them. Their lives depended on it.

They were thinking aloud about what their next move should be when Alixka collapsed onto the floor in agony. Marluxia knelt next to her before also being seized by the same horrible, sick feeling. It was the same feeling she had experienced when Vexen met his demise. That could only mean one thing.

“What...what is this?” She cried out.

“Nobodies  _ do _ have emotions.” He replied softly but angrily. “And we can sense when one of our own has met their end…Larxene…”

“No...NO!!”

She jumped up to her feet, her weapon in her hands. Fuck Sora and fuck needing him to complete their plans, Alixka was about to send him straight to Hell. She ran down the hall but didn’t get far such was the pain searing through her body. Her lover reached out to her. 

“Calm yourself, Alixka!” Marluxia shouted, grabbing her tightly while she writhed to get away.

“No! I won’t! Sora killed Larxene! It had to be him! It felt close, it had to come from the twelfth floor!”

“The twelfth floor?” He paused for a long time, Alixka glanced at him with anger and confusion. “That has to be where Namine is. I can sense the keyblade master moving forward. Yes. That’s where we will find Namine. Let’s go.”

He gently pulled her to her feet before summoning his weapon again.

“Marluxia…”

“For Larxene’s sake, we must succeed today, Rosebud.” He whispered to her. “Xemnas will pay for deceiving us all. And she would not want us to give up now.”

That was true. If Larxene was there now she would likely slap Alixka and tell her to calm the fuck down and to get her shit together. And so she would.

~~~

Namine was still sitting quietly on the cold marble floor when they found her not too long after this. Next to her was the Replica Riku, unconscious and apparently broken.

“Pathetic.” Marluxia said. “Even if it was just a prototype. Such a waste of potential.”

Alixka did not respond, she glanced down at Namine and at once felt a wave of sympathy and sadness for her. Even if they did need her, this was all still so cruel.

“Namine. Leaving is not an option, my dear.” He went on. “Sora will be arriving up top soon. Shall we go and meet him?”

The blonde girl turned to him with a look Alixka never thought she would ever see in the placid face. It was a look of anger. There was no response but when Marluxia went to grab her hand, she jerked it away.

“Do not cross me, child, I’m not in the mood.”

“Nami-dear.” The brunette tried to soothe her. “Please come with us.”

“She has no choice in the matter!” He snapped. “We need her and there is no where else she can go!”

Namine did not respond but kept her look of anger bit it slowly melted into fear at the sight of his scythe.

“Without you, Sora has no purpose in this castle.” He said. “You will come with us no matter what but if you make our job anymore difficult, I will scatter him like a thousand pieces to the wind!”

Frightened tears quickly appeared in her wide blue eyes. Alixka knelt beside her and swept her into her arms.

“Marluxia! That’s enough!”

She tried to comfort the younger girl but she found that she did not relax in her embrace as she had so often did. Alixka understood now that Namine’s trust in her was fading fast but she did not know what to do.

“Why?” The blonde sobbed softly so that only the older girl could hear her. “Kalai...why?”

Her face burned with sorrow and shame, Kalai would not do this to Kairi. Slowly she brought the girl to her feet, holding her until the last possible moment before she gently pushed her towards the pink haired man.

“Marluxia, promise Namine you won’t harm Sora if she comes with us!”

“I won’t.” He replied. “If Namine agrees to…”

“PROMISE HER!”

He knew that steely violet gaze, and softened his tone.

“I promise. I won’t harm Sora.”

“Good!” A small smile rose to the brunette’s face. “Let’s go, Nami-dear...”

“No. Not you.” Marluxia quickly interrupted her. “Axel still needs to be dealt with. Who knows what he may be thinking, what he intends to do next.”

Alixka felt sick at this. After the fall of Larxene, she did not want to be separated from Marluxia for even a moment. Even in his current state of malice towards Namine, he still represented something of a safety net for her. She never imagined that she would ever allow herself to feel so vulnerable.

“But what about Sora?” She murmured. “After all he took down Larxene and was able to defeat Vexen before Axel…”

The pink haired man quirked his eyebrow at her in half annoyance, half amusement.

“Are you implying that my power is such that Sora would actually be capable of defeating me?”

She blushed at this and quickly retracted her statement, remembering how she had watched him and Axel spar together on her third day in the Organization.

“As I told you before, Alixka, my true power is  _ far _ more profound than that of just power over plants. And I can only deal with one thing at a time.”

“So you want me to deal with Axel?”

The Flurry of Dancing Flames. Marluxia may have been strong enough to take him on but what about her? He must have sensed what she was thinking because he smiled and kissed her cheek.

“Do you recall what I said to you? The day I took you to the Dark Margin and we awakened your powers?”

Alixka closed her eyes as she remembered; that had been more than a year, a year and seven months to be exact, yet she still remembered as if it were a few hours ago.

“Beauty and fury, serenity and severity...”

“Yes. You are The Maiden of Tempests, there is a hurricane in you just waiting to be released and bring forth destruction, and…” Kissing her again. “You may need to call forth that hurricane in the future to help ensure your safety and to obliterate those who would stand in your way. Starting with Axel.”

She blinked. “The future?” There was a long pause between them, the brunette shifted her attention to Namine. Smiling to her to keep her still.

“Alixka.” Marluxia began. “I don’t want you coming in contact with Sora. If he can take down Larxene…” He paused. “Our plans must succeed. To unlock the truth of our existence, for me to answer the call of that who calls out to me in my dreams, for you to find understanding about your past. Even...even if it means you have to carry this out on your own, outside of this castle…”

“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU SAYING?!” Tears were forcing their way out of her, blinding her vision. Immediately he changed his tone.

“I’m saying nothing, silly Rosebud.” He chuckled. “This is all a formality. Sora will never defeat me. Axel will never defeat me. I will return to you at the days end, triumphant.”

Alixka smiled at this, doing her best to disregard what he had previously said.

“You better! I mean it!”

“In the meantime, stay here. Do not leave this spot until I come for you. Understood?”

“Wouldn’t it be better if we confront Sora together? And Axel too?”

“Obey your lord’s command, Rosebud. Do as I say and stay put.” Marluxia kissed her again, a deep and lingering one, as he vanished with Namine in a mist of black and purple, smiling at her until she was out of sight. 

At once Alixka crumbled to the ground in despair. This was too much. What was going to happen now? She didn’t even want to think about it. Larxene was gone, Vexen was gone. And Axel was hiding somewhere in the castle ready to fuck things up even more the moment he could. This whole plan was exploding in her face.

She thought of Marluxia, facing the Keyblade master with his scythe in hand, and she wondered what was so profound about his true power. Truthfully she had never really seen him fight to full capacity, unlike her, he was not reckless on the battlefield. What if it had all been a ploy? What if he had said those things to keep her safe down here? There were two other members in this castle, two that despite recent events, Alixka still felt like she could depend on if she was really in a dire straight. Two she felt would still help her if she were to explain all that was happening. Marluxia had forbidden her from fighting Sora, but he did not say anything about anyone else.

_ Oh Marluxia. _ She thought to herself with a reluctant smirk.  _ You should know by now that I don’t listen to those kinds of orders outside of the bedroom. _

~~~

Down the basements Alixka went, begging help from Lexaeus and Zexion may have seemed like a foolish last resort. But it truly was her last resort. This was her first time down here since her first less than pleasant visit when they had first arrived there a few weeks prior. She did not know how they would respond to her, especially now with Vexen gone, but she had to try. Her life depended on it.

She was making her way through the dark hallways when another sharp, horrible feeling took over her body. It was even more intense than the first two instances. Someone had just fallen and the worse thought imaginable went through her mind.

_ Marluxia...NO!!! _

Pushing herself through her agony, she rushed towards the door and slammed it open. She saw the last remnants of dark mists meaning that someone had just left. Only Zexion was standing there, glaring.

They had had their differences, they had had their strife but at this crucial moment she hoped that all of that could be forgotten if only for a moment. She couldn’t have been more wrong. 

“I have no right to beg help from you, Zexion. I know that.” She began to weep. “But please, I need…”

“Damn right you don’t!” He snapped at once. “You’re a traitor and a whore. Vexen is gone because of what you three have done! And now Lexaeus…”

“NO!” She gasped. “Lexaeus? You don’t mean to say…”

“He’s gone as well.” Zexion replied quickly and sharply. “We had plans to use Riku, the real Riku, against you traitorous rats. But when Lexaeus went to counter him, he was struck down.”

THAT was what Alixka had felt. Between Zexion’s stubbornness and Vexen’s arrogance, Lexaeus had been a solid rock of reason and neutrality. He had protected her sometimes on missions and even spoke with Xaldin to Xemnas about missions that could have been too dangerous for her to do alone. Her affection for him had been true to the end, of course she would sense his demise so intensely. More tears began to fall down her cheeks but Zexion did not change his harsh tone.

“Don’t you dare weep tears of regret in front of me, Alixka!” He said. “You had no regrets when you allowed Marluxia into your bed. You had no regrets following him in his pathetic coup. Do not have any regrets now!”

“I HAVE NONE!” She shouted. “I’ve come here because I need your help! Marluxia is NOT a traitor! Xemnas is deceiving us, deceiving you!”

“Do you even hear yourself?” 

He approached her and she quickly raised her arms in case she needed to summon a defensive wind but he grabbed her arm with rough ease. The way he glared at her made her truly feel afraid, but more so, she was sad. 

“Zexion…what happened? I thought we were friends! What has happened to us?” 

“You should have asked yourself that a long time ago! Before you let your head be turned by The Graceful Assassin! Before you allowed him to defile you!” 

“If you had actually told me why, over and over I asked you and over and over you would never…” 

“When you first joined our ranks, you have not the slightest clue how relieved I was to know you were alive, that you would be safe with us. All of us, Vexen, Lexaeus and Xaldin too." The way he twisted her arm made her whimper but he only tightened his grip as he continued. "We were so sure you had fallen to darkness. After you awoken we all made a vow that we would always protect you.”

His ocean eyes were fierce with anger and Alixka felt herself tremble involuntarily.

“Vexen is gone. Lexaeus is gone. And now you! LOOK AT YOU!”

Zexion yanked at the decorative chain of her coat and pulled at the black leather fabric angrily. It tore to reveal several marks of passion that her lovers had left on her body. Her face was ablaze with humiliation and rage. On impulse Alixka pushed him back only to be struck down with a sharp blow of his hand. Her body spun back some and she grabbed her cheek, angry tears stinging her face. 

“How dare you?!”

“How dare I? How dare I?! How can you say that after everything that has happened?! Everything YOU threw away following after him?!”

Immediately the setting changed. Alixka found herself standing in a beautiful courtyard. Flowers of every color surrounded her and in the center was a glittering fountain. She recognized where she was at once. This was Radiant Garden. This was the castle courtyard.

She was so focused on the sudden change of scenery that she did not notice at once the laughter of two children. A young girl ran around the fountain, being chased by a boy who seemed a little younger than her. He splashed her with water from the fountain as she laughed.

“Ha! I caught you, Kalai!” He laughed.

“You cheated! Cut it out, Ienzo!” She replied, splashing him back.

Zexion! The boy was Zexion. And the girl, she was Kalai. It was her! Alixka watched the scene with a confused, distinct sickness assaulting her stomach. Why would Zexion use his power to show her this? Her feeling of sickness only increased as the sky grew dark.

A cloud of darkness and rose petals separated the two children as Ienzo called out desperately for his friend. Kalai ran around frantically before stumbling to her knees. A tall, ominous figure loomed over the frightened girl, scythe in hand.

Marluxia!

The childish cries were like nails on a chalkboard to Alixka as she tried to force her eyes away from the image of him kneeling down next to the girl. But no matter where she turned, the specter of those two images flashed in front of her. She brought her hands to her ears but could not drown out her screaming or his alluring voice. 

“My, aren’t you a lovely little flower.”

Alixka couldn't take anymore of this offensive nightmare, her eyes slammed shut but she immediately heard Kalai’s screams but they were not coming from Kalai, they were coming from her own lips. She forced her eyes open to find herself staring at the sharp edge of Marluxia’s scythe. Her hands were smaller and he towered over her like a terrifying giant. Alixka was now this child, she was now Kalai.

She watched in horror as he raised his weapon to strike her, glowing with an alarming pink aura. He looked so much like that day at the Dark Margin right before she summoned her weapon for the first time. Foreboding beautiful and seductively menacing. The point of scythe was pointed right at her next; the sharp, cold metal jabbing at her skin, sharp enough to draw blood and tracing down her throat until she felt it at the tip of her chest. 

But instead of striking her, he pulled the scythe back and reached out to caress her cheek in a gesture that made a mockery of affection, bringing his face to hers. Her body was frozen with sick longing.

"Such a beautiful little flower."

Her body writhed as she felt his lips brush against her own, softly at first but then with more force as he pushed his tongue past her lips. No. She had kissed him countless times and never before did it feel so wrong to her. This was not Marluxia and she forced herself to remember that. Jerking away and crossing her arms together, she screamed and felt as Stormborn answered her call.

“NO!!!!”

Alixka slashed at Marluxia fiercely as his image vanished in a cloud of petals and revealed his true form. Zexion. At once the scene returned to that of the castle basement. And any thoughts she had of reconciliation with her old friend were gone forever. 

“Bastard!” She cried, clutching herself. “Why did you show that to me?! WHY DID YOU DO THAT TO ME?!”

“Now you see.” Zexion spoke to her in a low and vicious tone. “You see what you have become. The little girl you saw, she no longer exists. Kalai is gone forever, struck down by the lecherous wiles of The Graceful Assassin!”

The black book that he always seemed to have with him, the Lexicon of Retribution, appeared in his hands. Pages flipped rabidly as he began to glow with a frightening green aura.

“What remains is a traitorous whore!” He said. “You have no right to ask anything of me, Alixka. AND YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO DRAW BREATH ANY LONGER!”

Consumed by anger and jealousy, Zexion pointed the books pages at her as a flash of light consumed them both. In another moment she found herself in a void of grey emptiness. So this is what it was to be? So be it. No time to cry. No time to wonder why.

“LET THE TEMPESTS CONSUME YOU!!!”

A violent silver cyclone surrounded Alixka and guarded her from his fiery attacks. In another moment she pointed her finger to him and summoned a flurry of wind and hail. She kept her eye on him and on his book and did not notice when two lines of purple fire crossed beneath her feet and sent shockwaves throughout her body. At once she levitated herself, assisted by another cyclone of silvery wind.

She was about to lunge at him when he vanished in a cloud of pages. From behind her she felt something sharp graze her neck and turned to see herself faced again the pink blade of Marluxia’s scythe. That beautiful face and those enticing blue eyes ruthlessly mocking her.

“Oh come now. You wouldn’t strike down your lover now would you?”

Alixka shut her eyes as she resumed her attack. In another moment she heard the shrill laughter of The Savage Nymph.

“Oh, Alixka! Don’t hurt me! I thought we were friends!”

This was too much. She screamed as she transformed Stormborn from spear to staff. Her eyes still shut

“SHADOW FLARE!”

She cast her fierce spell but Zexion summoned meteors that cut through her attack. Alixka summoned her gale to protect her but she found herself pelted relentlessly by the terrible balls of fire and brimstone. There was only so much of this she could take before they broke through her defenses. And then she would be finished. Damned to nothingness.

“STOP THIS AT ONCE ZEXION!!!”

Her eyes opened a little, just enough to see several sets of silvery maroon wings flapping violently around her, as if they were protecting her. Dragoons?

The basement scenery returned. Alixka opened her eyes fully and gasped to see Xaldin floating in front of her, six lances surrounding him. Zexion was apparently just as shocked to see him there as he let his lexicon vanish as he stared up at the larger man.

“Xaldin...this creature...this whore...she is a traitor and….”

“BITE YOUR TONGUE NO. VI!” He growled. “You will lay not another finger on Alixka without going through me!”

“Then you are a traitor as well!”

“ENOUGH!”

Xaldin summoned his own defensive gale, larger and much stronger than Alixka’s, he grabbed her into a protective embrace as they vanished into the silver cloud of wind and mist of black and purple. Zexion watched them leave, enraged and dumbfounded. For a moment he thought about going after them but then thought better of it when he remembered the card in his pocket meant for Riku. 

He would have to deal with the whore later.

~~~

When Xaldin released her from his hold, Alixka glanced around to see the eye piercing white of the castle walls. She stared at him with a torrent of emotions coursing through her; shock, confusion, anger, worry, sorrow.

“Alixka…” He murmured. “What has happened here?”

“How did you get here?!”

“We heard about what was going on.” He said. “That at least one of the members assigned here had been terminated. And then another. I was already on a recon mission nearby and couldn’t keep myself from this place any longer. I had to know what was going on.”

“Xaldin…”

Before she could say another word, the ground beneath them began to shake violently. Excruciating pain shot up into Alixka and she vomited in reflex. Xaldin held onto her as she began to writhe in agony, he already knew what the feeling meant and what was happening to her.

“NOOOOOO!!!” She sobbed. “NOT THIS!!”

“Alixka! We have to get out of here!”

“NO!” She banged on his chest as she screamed through the pain. It would not go away, no matter how loudly she screamed. “We have to help him!”

“Help who?!”

“Marluxia!”

“No, Alixka! Listen to yourself!” He shook her. “You must protect yourself first and foremost!”

“Get away from me!”

Alixka shoved him as she ran towards the door leading to a flight of stairs. Struggling as ground rocked beneath her feet, struggling as the agony shook her very soul. At once Xaldin summoned several Dragoons to block her path before a Dark Corridor appeared.

“Forgive me for this, child.”

Those were his last words before he ran up to her from behind and pushed her in, following behind her.

~~~

They re-emerged in a small bedroom, not in Castle Oblivion and not in The Castle that Never Was. Xaldin remained silent for a few moments while Alixka calmed herself and accepted where she was. Looking out the window, she saw the golden sunset sky and realized that they were in Twilight Town.

“Xaldin...why…?”

“Hush now, Alixka!” He replied with gentle firmness. “You are to stay here until I personally get to the bottom of what transpired at Castle Oblivion.”

“But...Zexion, and Axel...Axel killed Vexen!”

“There will be time enough for you to tell me everything, child. In the meantime you will stay here. Do not leave unless I am with you. Who knows just what Axel is planning if what you say is so.”

She hesitated, wondering if she should say what was truly on her mind.

“Marluxia…”

Of course she would not forget about The Graceful Assassin! Xaldin turned from her briefly before attempting to soften his face and tone.

“Marluxia is one of the strongest in our ranks.” He said. “His title is not a poetic farce, his wields the element of death beside botanic elegance. I’m sure you will see him again soon.”

_ Death!  _ So Marluxia was telling the truth when he has told her that his true power was profound. Profound indeed! Alixka allowed herself to very cautiously believe Xaldin’s words and find comfort in them. Axel would be dealt with. Marluxia would not be defeated by the Keyblade master and Alixka would see surely see him again.

 She would not.

~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn this chapter was an emotional experience to write. Like goddamn! And Alixka’s story will not even end here.


	20. Calm Before The Storm (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alixka learns about Marluxia’s fate and vows to extract revenge in his name and see their plans to fruition, even if it means doing the unthinkable.

~~~

Nobodies had hearts. Nobodies had emotions. Nobodies could feel. Those were the thoughts that ran through Alixka’s mind as Xaldin solemnly explained to her what he had found out the following afternoon, that Marluxia had been struck down by Sora after all. There was no doubt now as she felt the sorrow of the loss of her lover, confidante and friend.

After all, you needed to have a heart to cry.

Most perplexing of all was that Zexion had also been eliminated, and by Axel of all people. And from what she told him, The Whirlwind Lancer began to understand more little bits and pieces of what else had transpired. Though she did not reveal the extent to how involved she was in her lover’s plans. Only that which she felt he needed to know. For now. He shook his head in disappointment.

“Alixka, how could you have let yourself fall victim to his schemes?”

“Don’t insult me!” She snapped at once. “Whatever I did, I did of my own free will. No one coerced me into anything and I have no regrets!”

“You will have regrets when I bring you back to headquarters!” He replied. “And I’ll have to eventually! How are you going to explain your position to Lord Xemnas?! You were closely involved with essentially his enemy. One who sought to overthrow him. You were as close as one could be in this situation! Think!”

The reality slowly began to settle into her mind. Xaldin was right. Now with Marluxia and Larxene gone, Alixka was alone and she had to think quickly on a plan of action if she was to survive. Slowly she lowered her head in thought.

“We are going to say that Marluxia forced you to join in on the coup.” He continued. “And that your fraternization with him was your way of gathering more intel…”

“Excuse you?!” Alixka jumped up from her seat. “I did no such thing! Marluxia didn’t force me to do anything!”

“And if we tell that story you will be turned into a Dusk! Or worse!” He grabbed her shoulders, trying to literally shake sense into the stubborn girl. “Don’t you understand yet, child?! It doesn’t matter WHAT the truth is! What matters is that you must survive, the truth be damned! I WILL NOT LET XEMNAS ELIMINATE YOU!!”

Why did it matter so much to Xaldin whether she lives or dies? Perhaps because she was the only one left from those originating from Radiant Garden, besides Xigbar but he really did not count. If only she knew.

Alixka fell back into her seat again, hot tears began to form in her eyes as the weight of this situation hung to her like a cold wet blanket. She was alone and, loath she was to admit it, afraid.

Xaldin’s lie had to be told but it was just that, a lie. The more she thought about it the more enraged she became towards the man she once served and called her superior. Xemnas had not just deceived her and Marluxia, he was deceiving them all. And who truly knew what the nature of Nobodies could truly be, with or without Kingdom Hearts.

And it was at that moment that her purpose became clear again. The final conversation between her and her lover rang in her ears like an empowering anthem. Yes, she had to survive and she would. Alixka would return to The Castle that Never Was and she would extract revenge by stealth. She would learn more about their existence, and slowly but surely, coax Roxas to her side. After all he also wielded a Keyblade.

This was not over.

~~~

If only she was allowed out of her room. Alixka was bored to the point of insanity in those following days while Xaldin continued to gather intel and sometimes return to the Organization. Leaving her alone overnight with only her thoughts as companionship. It had been a long time since she had slept alone and she found it a sickening experience. Tears soaked her pillow as memories of her time with Marluxia and Larxene played over and over in her mind, resulting in her feeling lonelier and more physically starved than she had been in a very long time.

But she also had plenty of time to form her game plan for her inevitable return. By her ninth day in Twilight Town, Alixka felt herself ready to return. It was in this spirit that she received a most unexpected visit, almost like an omen.

Alixka had been staring out her window one evening, she realized soon after her arrival that her place of exile was Sunset Terrace, a place she had only visited once or twice in the past. As she admired the golden sunset she thought she heard a strange, floating sound. Strange but very familiar. Alixka turned around to find herself faced with a single Vixen.

It had been a long time since she had seen one of her Lesser Nobodies and she smiled. But then another moment she saw the silver swirls of another one appearing; this time it was a Reaper, followed by another type she had never seen before but it’s golden accents and claw like hands made her at once think about Larxene. That must have been her own Lesser Nobody, what were they called again? Ninjas?

More Lesser Nobodies of the same three types appeared in her room, they all made a gesture of obedience to her. One of the Reapers approached her slowly, from it’s arm it summoned a small black book that she recognized at once. It was her journal! Somehow these creatures had retrieved it from Castle Oblivion. It was just as well too since it contained some extremely incriminating entries that would prove disastrous if they ever fell into the wrong hands.

Perhaps now that they had no master they were shifting their allegiance to her. Perhaps they would be her army. Alixka did not understand this but it did not matter. She smiled again as she waved her hand in dismissal, immediately they all vanished.

~~~

By the eve of her return, Alixka had become too restless to stay cooped up in her room any longer. Xaldin had not returned for a while but she sensed that he was still alive and still promoting her interests. At this point she felt like it was safe now to venture out of her room, even if it was only for a moment.

Sunset Hill was really such a beautiful spot, the twilight sky was so much better from here compared to the little window in her room. At once she thought about how much Marluxia would like this place and without even realizing it, the memory of their night watching the floating lanterns returned to her mind. Alixka bit down on her lip hard to quell her tears.

“Yo, Alixka! I’ve been looking for you.”

A crackling of rage shot up the brunette at once before she even turned to meet Axel’s gaze. She knew this moment would come, now it was time. Maybe she should not have left her room after all.

“How odd. Because I can’t think of anyone else I want to see less!”

The redhead smirked even as he summoned his chakrams in a fiery fury. She blinked and slowly raised her hand to summon her spear, but did not just yet.

“It’s a shame really.” He said. “Despite our less than ideal start, I had always hoped that we might become friends.”

“Que sera sera.” She replied. “Such was not meant to be.”

“I guess not. Well, I’m sure you know why I’m here. So how about you not make my job harder than it needs to be?”

A brief sense of terror struck her but she merely smiled as she allowed Stormborn to appear.

“I know.” She said. “But I wonder. If you’re going to eliminate me as a traitor, does that mean you will eliminate yourself afterward?”

The look of confidence in his bright green eyes vanished momentarily. Alixka took this as an opening and summoned a fierce gale to guard and conceal her as she teleported behind him, a trick that Marluxia had taught her.

Axel had no time to react to her attack but quickly recovered, weapons clashing with each other as both struggled to gain the upper hand. Alixka was thankful that he had not yet called upon any of his elemental attacks, perhaps because they were so out in the open. If things continued like this, she was certain that she could hold him off. She summoned another gale that he blocked with some difficulty but he then locked glances at her and grinned.

“You can’t keep fighting forever.” A ring of fire was conjured from one of his chakrams that she quickly countered with a gust of hail. She smiled.

“Don’t tell me you’re giving up already!”

“Never!” His weapons flew at her but she only blew them away back into his hands. “For your betrayal against the Organization, I Axel will eliminate you, Alixka!” At this she laughed.

“Damn that sounds lame coming from you!”

“Seriously? You think so too?”

“Ha!”

Raising her spear, she transformed it to it’s magical second form.

“Let the tempests consume you!”

Alixka planted the staff into the ground to cause a shockwave that knocked Axel back. In that brief moment of incapacitation she transformed her weapon back and lunged at him, swiping his double weapons away with one swift movement. She pointed the spear at his neck, summoning a gale to protect her as she spoke slowly to him.

“I wonder, would anyone in the Organization actually miss you?” Emerald eyes flashed her with a look of anger, he tried to call back his chakrams but she slammed her heels on both of his hands. She smiled down malevolently at him, taking a little too much satisfaction in her victory. How she had dreamed of a moment like this, ever since their first meeting. “Because I certainly won’t!” 

“You will pay for your betrayal, Alixka! If I don’t eliminate you, Xemnas will!”

“Yes, perhaps. But tell me, what do you think he will do to YOU when he realizes what you did to Vexen and Zexion?”

“What?”

The Maiden of Tempests laughed as her foot released his hand and she flipped back, weapon still in hand.

“Last I checked, they despised Marluxia, they despised you. Were they just collateral damage?”

“Vexen was going to eliminate Sora! I did what I needed to do to prevent that!”

“Ah, I see. And what about Zexion? What part did he play in trying to eliminate Sora or betray the Organization?”

Axel paused, giving thought to her words. There was truth in them, he could probably write off Vexen’s demise as an unfortunate necessity but Zexion was another matter. After all he and Saix still had their own designs and if Xemnas where to catch wind of it, bad things might happen to him. He glared at his self assured opponent.

“What are you saying, Alixka?”

“What I’m saying is this. I’ll let you live and you will speak not a word of what happened today. Tomorrow I will return to the Organization and whatever Xemnas decides to do with me will be my own to bear.”

“I hear a ‘but’ coming.” She smirked at this.

“BUT,” She continued. “If I survive past tomorrow and you betray me, don’t think for a moment I won’t hesitate to betray you.”

Axel raised his eyebrow at this, always feisty and always standing in the way of his goal, even now. He had not even really dealt with the traitors. Sora had and if he were being truly honest, out of all of them, Axel was now more of a traitor than any of the others that had gone to Castle Oblivion. Of course she would not be eliminated so easily.

“We may be traitors in different ways but we are still, both of us, traitors! So don’t pretend like you’re acting on the interests of the Organization. It’s beneath you and you know it!”

“Fine! My lips are sealed! But do you really think Xemnas will be swayed as easily?”

“That’s my own problem! Not yours!” She snapped. “You just remember what will happen if you open your fucking mouth! Are we in clear?!”

His emerald eyes locked with her amethyst ones, their pact formed.

“Crystal clear, Alixka.”

~~~

“WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!”

Xaldin practically suffocated Alixka in his arms when she returned back to her room a few minutes later. She tried to push him away but there was something oddly comforting in the large man’s embrace. He may be the last one left who had any inkling of care for her, she was not going to take that for granted.

“I’m fine, Xaldin.” She replied, trying to laugh a little. “I just needed some fresh air.”

“I recall I specifically told you not to leave this room!”

“Xaldin, really! I’m not a child! I can take care of myself!”

“Axel has not returned. He’s still out there! Did you see him?”

“I don’t think he will be a problem anymore.” She smiled even as he gently shook her for more information.

“So you DID encounter him?! What happened?!”

“Xaldin…”

“Tell me at once!”

“Nothing happened! Axel did try to strike me down but he’s essentially a traitor as well. We formed a bargain, his silence in exchange for my own...” She could not hide a small, sly grin “...and for me keeping him alive.”

He pulled back from her and stared at her for a few moments before allowing himself a very small smile. A wise move, almost tactical. A fighting spirit indeed.

“What matters now is what will happen tomorrow.” He said. “I am to present you before Xemnas at The Altar of Naught tomorrow. You are to stand in judgement for you actions in Castle Oblivion. I’ve been speaking to Saix about your case. But whatever happens…”

There was a long silence before he swept her into his arms again.

“Xaldin?”

“Foolish child.” He whispered. “I can’t keep protecting you like this. What to do if…”

“I don’t need protection, Xaldin.” She sighed. “I told you already. What I did I did of my own free will, and I’m ready to pay for it if need be.”

Alixka pulled away from him at last, they stared at each other for a long time. She did not know why she had never noticed it before, but Xaldin had very interesting eyes. They were intense, but kind, and oddly enough, the exact same color as her own. A smile crept to her face and she giggled.

“Stop looking at me like that! I’ll be fine!” With slightly more confidence than she felt at that moment. “This will all blow over and soon you and I will be killing Heartless again just like before!”

Being able to laugh and smile even at the possibility of impending doom was a sure sign of courage. Xaldin knew he need not worry. He had taught her well.

“I must return to the castle now.” He said. “I’ll be back here early to fetch you. Be ready.”

The second he was gone, Alixka fell onto her bed and allowed the tears she had been holding back to finally fall. This would have to be the last time she ever cried. Starting tomorrow, she could no longer cry, she could no longer think about Marluxia or Larxene, and she could never want them ever again.

~~~

She might as well already be on her way to execution based on how all eyes fixed upon her as she silently walked behind Xaldin through the ominous halls of The Castle that Never Was. At Castle Oblivion, this place had almost seemed like home, and now she found herself wishing she could return there. Return to the past.

They had all heard by now, of course, that she was at least a possible traitor to the Organization. What none of them knew was how she managed to escape termination, at least until now.

Even in the thick leather clothing, the marble floor of The Altar of Naught felt chillingly cold as Alixka knelt before The Superior and his second-in-command. Though she had faced danger countless times over her many months in the Organization, she had never really felt herself close to death. Even in the last few days, there had always been a strange sense of assurance inside of her that never allowed her to have any fear.

Yet now, within the ‘safety’ of this castle, she found herself feeling closer to death than she had ever been since that fateful night back in Traverse Town. Alixka did not have to look up to feel those hated amber eyes fixed upon her. And she knew that whether or not she would be able to carry on with her plans was first dependent on this moment.

“We have been briefed on your case.” Saix began. “According to Xaldin, Marluxia forced you in on his plan to usurp our Superior. Is that true?”

“Yes, Saix.” Her eyes remained lowered, even as her face burned.

“We are not fully convinced.” He said. “It is no secret that you two were seen to become very...intimate...soon after your arrival.”

“Such...intimacy...was completely one-sided. I found no real redress in my situation.”

“Is that so?”

Xemnas made a few slow steps towards her kneeling figure. He stated down at her with suspicion and interest.

“When were you first made aware of his plans?”

“The eve of our departure to Castle Oblivion.”

“And you chose not to say a word to anyone?” His volume raising slightly, causing a chill to run through her. That wasn’t wise and she knew she would have to be cautious with how much truth she allowed to reveal. And even more cautious about what truth to hide.

“Superior, my decision not to reveal his treachery was solely based on the fact that I knew that the Keyblade master would deal with him and the other traitors in due course. I had only to wait. And he did.”

“Our Superior was aware that there were traitors among those sent to Castle Oblivion.”

“Then may I ask, why was Marluxia not dealt with sooner? You certainly would have made my position easier by doing so.”

“We are the one asking the questions, traitor!” The blue haired man's claymore appeared, making her flinch. “You are in no position to…”

“Enough, Saix!” Xemnas barked, causing his second-in-command to immediately step back in respect. The Superior held his glance for a moment before turning it to Alixka, smirking a little. “We have not judged her as a traitor. _Yet_.”

The silver haired man put deep, careful emphasis on his last word. Her next words had to be chosen wisely.

“Forgive my impertinence.” She murmured, the shadow of The Superior of The In-Between could be felt looming over her. Chills shot up her backside. But he remained silent.

“Axel knew about the traitors.” Saix said. “Why did you not speak to him?”

“How was I supposed to know that? Axel also eliminated Vexen to gain Marluxia’s trust. And…”

 _He killed Zexion! Who did nothing wrong!_ It was a wonder to her she did not split her tongue in two, such was how hard she was biting it.

“And?”

“And again...I was not aware. He...vanished soon after Namine did as well. And then Marluxia…”

“Well why did you leave Castle Oblivion?”

“Because I was under the impression that I was the only one left alive. Since Namine went missing so soon after Axel and if Axel was willing to eliminate Vexen…” She slowly allowed her eyes to meet those of The Luna Diviner. “Who's to say he would not also eliminate...?”

As much as she wanted to continue that statement, she let it deliberately hang. Proving her point effectively while still keeping her end of the bargain.

There was something in those violet eyes that did not sit well with Saix. Just when he thought he was rid of all those in his way. It would be so easy to crush her right now but as of yet, Xemnas had not passed any judgment.

All the while Xemnas watched their exchange, though not really paying attention to their words. He was focused on Alixka, her position in this pathetic coup was not in doubt, he knew this. Once this formality was done with he would deal with her as only a traitor could be. But his interest in her had existed for a very long time, beyond even the beginnings of this existence. And now, even as she knelt in subjugation, awaiting the inevitable, he felt as though it was coming full circle.

“Saix, leave us.”

The blue haired man turned to his superior, blinking to conceal his surprise. Saix dared not make him repeat himself and quickly vanished, but not before shooting Alixka a look of malice. She had just earned herself a new enemy.

~~~

Alixka did not dare leave her place, even as her knees began to ache. She heard the clicking heels on the cold floor as he circled her a few times in silence, and she began to worry again. Loath she was to admit it, her fate was now in his hands and she doubted the could take him on if the need came.

“I will speak plainly.” He said at last. “I know you and Marluxia were close, do not bother denying it. Though you have also been a very formidable member of this Organization, the fact still remains that you were as close as one could be to the traitor. So tell me…”

Xemnas extended one hand and from it a beam of red appeared. An Ethereal Blade.

“...Tell me, what benefit would there be in allowing his whore back into my camp? One who probably knows more than she had any business knowing?”

This was it. It was over. Alixka finally forced her eyes toward the glowing red beam that would be her doom, it had a strangely terrifying beauty it it. Her eyes shifted to meet those of the wielder of this frightening weapon. Those amber orbs burned with an intensity that struck fear into her far worse than anything she had experienced thus far. And he knew it.

“Well?”

Was there really any use in defending herself now? She closed her eyes briefly and saw as an image of Marluxia flashed in her mind. No. What would he say now? If he knew she was allowing herself to give up so quickly.

_Call forth the hurricane in you to ensure your safety and obliterate those who would stand in your way._

He may be gone now but she had to continue his work. And to do that she had to survive.

“If you are so certain of my treachery than you know what to do.” She spoke in a low but measured tone. “I have told you the truth. I have served this Organization, served you, for more than a year now. I have served you loyally without question, comment or complaint.”

Xemnas listened to her, not realizing that he had slowly began to pull the single blade away from her. She was so beautiful in her supplication.

“You gave me new purpose in what would otherwise be a hollow, meaningless existence. If my loyalty to you is in doubt…” Locking her violet gaze fully with his. “Then I no longer see point in this existence, or any for that matter.”

Their eyes remained on each other for several agonizingly long minutes. As Alixka looked at him the only thing she could not help but think, besides how much she wanted to kill him, was how familiar his cold, golden gaze felt to her now…

_Xehanort!_

“Hmph. Did you learn your skill for consummate speeches from him?”

She did not respond but it did not matter, Xemnas had made his decision. Alixka had not moved from her position and he now knelt down to her level, allowing the Ethereal Blade to vanish. Roughly he took her chin into his large, gloved hand.

“Insolent girl.” He said. “You always were. Yet you fascinate me me. When you vanished from the castle, even now, why am I drawn to you, _Kalai_?”

_How dare you use my name, my true name!_

“Do I frighten you?”

_Bastard!_

“Is...fear not synonymous with respect, Superior?”

“Is that a yes?”

Alixka pondered his question. Of course she feared him, but she also knew her life was in her hands, quite literally. As she thought about it she felt as his eyes shifted from her face to her neck, and even lower. An involuntary pulse went through her that made her feel profoundly filthy but not at the same time.

_Beauty and fury, serenity and severity._

She had not yet answered him and at this point she had the feeling that it would not matter if she did either way. Another large hand crept up her leg, she bit her lip to keep from flinching. It felt warm, alarmingly warm, and another pulse went through her that was not as bad as the first. Even in this subtle touch she could sense his power. His strength. His...masculinity.

_Release the hurricane..._

Xemnas was her enemy. He was deceiving all those around her including her. Marluxia met his demise trying to reveal what he was keeping hidden. But where there was power, there was weakness. And Alixka had just realized what may be his. Such beautiful silver hair.

_Obliterate those who would stand in your way..._

The feeling of his lips pressed against hers was not as horrible as she had feared. It honestly kind of scared her how easily she fell into it, how easily she accepted his rough hands pinning her to the floor, hips grinding explicitly against her own. Maybe Alixka was lonely, maybe she was physically starved, but whatever this was it certainly helped her cause as she eagerly responded to her coat being removed and his hands roving across her bare flesh. 

Above them Kingdom Hearts hung in the permanent night sky. So much she still did not understand, but this would be the first step towards that. The first step towards Xemnas’ downfall.

~~~

“WHY didn’t you dispose of her?!”

Angry eyes flashed at the redhead as he sat rather casually on the bed while his blue haired friend admonished him.

“Look, I did what I could.” He replied. “But things got...complicated…”

“Complicated?! Explain yourself because if it weren’t enough that she was intimate with a _known_ traitor, now…”

“She knows.” Axel blurted out. “How much she knows, I’m not sure. What she does, she’s holding it over my head.”

“How could you have let this happen, Axel?!”

“I got rid of the important ones, so that’s a start.”

“BUT IT SEEMS LIKE YOU NEGLECTED TO GET RID OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE OF THEM ALL!” 

Thankfully this room was positioned away from the heart shaped moon. Otherwise Axel doubted if his friend could possibly stay composed in this situation. He took in several deep breaths and the redhead waited for him to calm himself before speaking again. 

“She’s alone with Xemnas now, isn’t she?” He asked, trying to seem unbothered. “Whatever our plans, I doubt he will let her off the hook considering her…ahem...closeness to the traitors. We don’t have to worry about her.”

Saix closed his eyes in thought, he recalled how those eyes met his before he was ordered to leave. He also recalled a similar scene, a long time ago. When a similarly insolent girl, with similarly insolent violet eyes, met with his and his friends as she stood in their way of a similar goal. He sighed.

“We can only hope.”

~~~

This was NOT betrayal.

That was the the statement Alixka repeated in her mind over and over again like a mantra even as her naked body writhed in ecstasy in the arms of The Superior. Even as his hands held her firmly in place in his lap as she rode him desperately. Even as his name burst out from her lips when he crept a subtle thumb between them and began circling her clit roughly between thrusts. 

And even as she tried not to draw comparisons with Marluxia. Xemnas was not Marluxia, and nothing could compare to the divine pleasures HE had given her. But loath she was to admit it, Alixka would be lying to herself if she said that Xemnas was an unskilled lover.

Out of sheer indigence at just how skilled Xemnas was, she made up her mind to not allow herself to climax. Alixka did this by working her mind overtime to focus on how much she hated him, how much she would enjoy seeing him destroyed, and how much she would love to be a Somebody again. She would ride his cock forever and a day if she could prevent herself from experiencing the finale that he was pushing her towards.

But he picked up on this soon enough and he was determined to make her forget all about her treacherous lover. Out of nowhere Xemnas slammed her back onto the floor, delving into her at a faster and even harsher pace than before. She cried out but not in pain, pain in this case might have been easier to accept.

“I wonder…” He breathed sensuously against her neck. “Was he able to bring you to pieces like this?”

Alixka refused to honor that question with an answer but the feeling of his cock pounding deliberately against a particularly sensitive spot made quick work against her resolve.

“NO!” She gasped out, earning her a low and evil chuckle.

“Marluxia could never make you feel like this. You see that now. You’ll see it more in time.”

Afew more intense thrust brought them both over the edge, she tried to bite back her orgasm but quickly felt a strong hand grab her neck. Again it scared her how much she enjoyed it. His name practically echoed into the depths of Kingdom Hearts as pleasure rocked her body to the core.

This was NOT betrayal.

Thank the light of Kingdom Hearts that Xemnas was not one for post coitial cuddles, the moment he returned from his high he pulled away from Alixka and was dressing himself the next moment. He gave her a look as though she should do the same and she did, the faster she could return to her room the better.

“I hereby pardon you for your actions with the traitors in Castle Oblivion.” He said to her when they had both put their clothes back on. “And you will not be placed under any probation. In exchange for my leniency I expect you to return to your missions promptly tomorrow. And…”

Xemnas approached her and brought her face to his. Those golden eyes shot into hers like knives. Alixka despised how his touch made her body quiver.

“And I expect you to be prepared for a repeat of our exchange today. I expect you to be prepared for many repeats in the coming days. Understood, Alixka?”

He was enjoying this a little too much, she could sense that. And so was she.

“Understood, Superior. Thank you.”

“You’re dismissed.”

He need not tell her twice, within seconds she was back in her room. On her night stand there was a page pressed bunch of the pretty white flowers that Marluxia had plucked for her that wonderful night. 

How odd, according to Xemnas, Nobodies were incapable of feeling anything. Zexion had often echoed these sentiments, admonishing her for giving any inkling of the emotion that he had been so convinced was merely an illusion. And from the first she understood that her only real purpose in this life was to gain a heart of her own and become whole once more and no longer a Nobody. 

Yet in the year and seven months that she had been one, tonight was the first night that she truly felt hollow.

This was NOT betrayal.

~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What was that? Huh? What was that I heard about there being no more smut now that Flower Daddy is gone? Oh no! Now it’s time for Alixka to get that silver haired adonis booty! 
> 
> There is no hope for me.


	21. Vengeful Reprieve (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Alixka may have secured her survival for now, a greater threat is appearing and she'll need the aid of her reluctant new lover to combat it.

~~~

Alixka could not help but relish a little the looks of shock on those sitting in The Grey Area the next morning. They had all no doubt marked her for dead, but she had proven that she would not fall so easily. Xaldin of course knew that she would be fine and concealed a small smile of pride as he watched her take a seat on a couch next to Roxas and Xion.

Roxas honestly could not be happier to see her again. Besides Axel, she had been the only one who had really been kind to him and he felt her absence when she was gone. It didn’t matter to him the rumors he had heard about her possible treachery. His other friend was back.

“How have things been while I was away?” She asked the boy.

“Same as always really.” He replied. “Since Axel was really the only one I was close to, I've been on my own for a while.”

“That sucks.”

“Yeah, but then I started doing missions with Xion. She’s very nice, and she has a keyblade too!”

“Xion?”

Alixka could only count on one hand the times she had seen this mysterious fourteenth member. How interesting. From what little she knew about Xion, she had gotten the impression that she was a Nobody like them, and how was it that she was able to wield a keyblade? In interest she turned to the silent form sitting next to Roxas. She smiled.

“I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Alixka.”

Xion turned to her shyly and Alixka was surprised at what she saw. She vaguely remembered the first time she saw Xion that she hardly had a face and her hood was permanently up. Now as she glanced at her, her facelessness vanished to reveal a rather pretty girl with black hair and blue eyes. At once Alixka thought of Sora.

“Hello, Alixka.” She said. “Roxas told me about you.”

So many secrets in this organization. So much to understand.

“Alixka!”

She could not help but roll her eyes as Saix entered the room, the look of disgust permanently fixed upon the blue haired pick’s face. But she rose respectfully all the same.

“Hollow Bastion has begun to repopulate now that Maleficent has been destroyed.” He said. “Your mission today will be reconnaissance in that world.”

“Hollow Bastion?” She groaned. “Don’t you recall what happened the last time I was there? Do I have to?”

“Don’t worry, you’ll be alone for this. No traitors to dissuade you from your tasks.” The smallest of sarcastic smiles came to his face that she could not help but notice. “Now go!”

“Hold on a sec.”

Xigbar walked in rather casually, glancing at Alixka with a knowing grin while he directed his words to Saix.

“Just got word from the boss.” He said. “There’s been sightings of Dustfliers in Hollow Bastion. As such he doesn’t want Alixka performing recon there today or ever again without someone else with her.”

“I like the sound of that.” Xaldin murmured, just loud enough for Alixka to hear him. She bit back a smirk of satisfaction as Xigbar continued.

“Me and Roxas are to go to Hollow Bastion today instead.”

“Why am I just hearing this?!” Saix snapped.

“Because I’m just telling you this.” The older man smirked. “If you want verification, go see Lord Xemnas yourself.”

If only the eyepatch wearing bastard were not six ranks above him! Saix did not like this, doubly because he had been the one who had decided that Alixka should go to Hollow Bastion alone. Triply because he knew that Dustfliers had been sighted there and that she had had problems with this particular class of Heartless in the past. How had Xemnas even find out? He turned to glare at the insolent brunette.

“Well, you heard him!” He said. “You’re off the hook!”

“Luckyyyyyyy.” Demyx laughed.

“Silence!” Saix barked back.

“Then were am I to be assigned to today?” she asked rather innocently. 

“No where!” Was the angry response. “All missions for today have been handed out!”

“One second, Saix.” Xaldin spoke up. “No need to be like that. My mission in Olympus is a solo one today. I don’t mind letting her tag along.”

Now it was time for Saix to glare at him. This was too much, he was not used to this level of control being taken away and he did not like it. But there was little could do, yet.

“Fine! Alixka, go with Xaldin to Olympus! Roxas, you will go with Xigbar to Hollow Bastion. Xion you go with them! Now all of you, out!”

 ~~~

This was a nice change. Alixka had never visited this world and of course she would have preferred to be outside of the castle anyway. Recon didn’t take long and since she did not want to RTC right away, Xaldin gave into her pleas to join her for a tournament in the Colosseum. He was pleased to see that the weeks of sedentary activity in Castle Oblivion had not affected her combat skills. They made a great team and swept through the matches with ease.

“I see now that Axel could be no match for you, Alixka.” He grinned.

“I told you so!” She laughed. “And look! I’m alive and we’re fighting Heartless together! Just as I said we would!”

“Very true. And just between us, how did you manage to convince Xemnas to let you completely off, without even a slap on the wrist?”

Immediately she recalled what had transpired between her and Xemnas the previous night. His raw, almost animistic passion, the cold marble floor on her flesh, his cock ramming into her and making her scream insatiably. She turned away in case her face was flushed.

“That’s classified information!” She replied, trying to make her tone teasing. “What’s important is that it worked!”

“I suppose.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “But I just want to be sure that you haven’t wound up in an even more untoward situation trying to escape this one.”

“The fact that I even allowed myself in that situation at Castle Oblivion in the first place was enough.” She said thoughtfully. “I don’t think things can get anymore dangerous now. But for the time being I have safety. And I intend to keep it by any means necessary.” Putting strong emphasis on her last three words.

“Well said, Alixka.”

He placed an arm around her, she closed her eyes and to her mind, another memory revealed itself. She was wearing a stylish guards uniform, a practice lance in hand as she stood in a battle stance, facing another guard with a lance similar to Xaldin’s. When she opened her eyes again she glanced up at The Whirlwind Lancer with a smile.

“I don’t think I’ve had the honor of sparring with you yet. And our move sets are so similar.”

He laughed at this. “You’re right, child. But I am your mentor.”

“A spear may not be exactly the same as a lance, but they’re similar enough. What better way for me to improve my skills than with another who shares my weapon?”

A smile rose to his face as he recalled the exact same memory that she was currently experiencing. And similar words that he had once spoken. 

“Very well. I will take you on tomorrow.”

“Don’t think I’m going to go easy on you just because you're my mentor, Xaldin!”

“I have no doubt, Alixka.”

~~~

That evening Alixka stood alone in the training room, even though her strength had clearly not lessened in the past weeks, she still felt as though her skills could use some honing. The keeper of the Colosseum had commented about a certain way she was holding and swinging her spear that could cause injury easier. As she tried out different ways at attacking, she heard the door of the training room swing open.

She expected to see Xigbar or maybe even Axel since they were the ones who frequently came here. So Alixka was slightly surprised to see that it was Saix instead. And she didn’t know what exactly to make of it.

“You’re far too lax in my opinion.” He said. “In more than a year that you’ve been here I don’t think you’ve once had a true challenge.”

“Excuse you?”

Alixka did not have any time to properly form her sense of offence for in the next moment he summoned his claymore and jumped towards her with alarming swift.

“So allow me to give you one!”

Really?! Was he really going to fuck with her right then and there?! No. That would not be wise. This was obviously a show of dominance after today’s humiliation in The Grey Area. Alixka had treaded on his toes earlier and he was re-paying her for that. Fine, she could play along.

“Gale of Fury, hear my call!”

At once she was surrounded by a defensive wind as her body levitated and she lunged back at him, only to have their weapons clash. Thankfully Saix was not in his berserk mode. Alixka crossed her arms together and summoned a rage of hail and thunder as she levitated once more. She was doing her best to stay in the air and avoid the shockwaves of blue flames that rocked the ground with his weapon.

“I’ve had my share of challenges, thank you!” She shouted at him. “And you just topped the list of them! Congratulations!”

“How bad I feel, if I COULD feel!”

Saix lunged at her and stuck at her savagely. Thankfully his hit did not connect and in the next moment Alixka was behind him. She slashed at him quickly before resuming her position in the air, he decided to join her there and continued to clash with her before managing to slam her back to the ground. He smirked.

“Of course Marluxia would set his eyes on such a feckless creature like you!”

She was back on her feet the second her lover’s name escaped his lips. Now he had done it!

“SHUT UP!”

From spear to staff, Stormborn transformed in her hands as she summoned several ribbons of silver lightning to knock him back to the ground. Saix rose to his feet and began to concentrate.

“I call upon the moon's pale…”

“Oh no you don’t!”

In a swift move Alixka summoned a veil of heavy fog that temporarily interrupted his lunar possession. In his moment of weakness she summoned another fury of hail that knocked him back once more. She flipped back as she saw him begin to glow with a scary blue aura.

“Insolent bitch!”

“Why does everyone like calling me that?”

She summoned a protective gale that shielded her from his next attack before transforming her weapon back into a spear. Again their weapons clashed as they both returned to the ground.

“AND WHY DO YOU INSIST ON STANDING IN MY WAY?!”

“What is going on here?!”

At once Saix cooled down at the sound of The Superior’s voice. Despite the adrenaline pumping through her, Alixka turned to meet Xemnas’ eyes rather casually, she knelt respectfully.

“Lord Xemnas.” She began “Forgive us if our friendly match got out of hand.”

“Hmmm.” The silver haired Nobody studied The Maiden of Tempests thoughtfully before turning to his second-in-command. “It’s rare to see you in the training room, Saix.”

The blue haired Nobody could not think of a decent response to his superior. But thankfully it didn't really matter. He turned his attention back to the brunette.

“I need to have a word with you, Alixka.  _ Alone _ .”

The emphasis placed on that final word caused a pulse to go off between her legs. She knew what he wanted to have a “word” with her about. If it could really be called such a thing. Alixka rose to her feet as he summoned a dark corridor. But not before turning back to Saix with an indignant smile at her “victory”.

“Good fight today, No. VII.”

~~~

Apprehension immediately took her over when her room came into view and she felt the strong arms envelop her in a firm and needy embrace. Alixka did not expect to become so comfortable with her sworn enemy so soon after deciding to seduce him, and she did not expect him to respond so eagerly to her. She suspected that it would take a few more “repeats” before he could fully trust her again and maybe more before he even dared to open up to her. But she had all the time in the world.

“Why did you overrule Saix’s mission for me today?” She asked when she felt it was safe to speak. His lips curved into a little smirk.

“It was not for your safety, if that is what you're fooling yourself to believe.” He replied. “I can’t have you poking your pretty little nose where it doesn’t need to be.”

“I already remember who I am.” She boldly turned to meet his gaze. “And I remember who you used to be.”

To her surprise, this amused him as he placed his hand on her cheek in a gesture almost affectionate.

“All the more reason you have no business in Hollow Bastion.”

Clearly there was something there that he did not want her seeing. Alixka decided that she would investigate further when she had free time. This thought in her mind was quickly stiled by the sparks that went off inside of her as his lips made contact with her neck. She let out an involuntary moan, temporarily forgetting her resolve to hold back in these moments for as long as she could. Xemnas pressed himself harder against her as he brought his lips from her neck to the shell of her ear.

“Did last night make you forget about your treacherous lover?”

It would take more than just one night of frenzied fucking to make her forget about Marluxia. But she knew that saying that would be far from the wise thing to do.

“Last night was...intoxicating…” She blushed deeply. “To say the least.”

“Hmmm.”

His hands ran down her arms sensuously, one hand moving back up her torso and catching her zipper.

“Such treachery…” He continued as he slowly pulled it down. “Runs very deep. As such, passion intertwined with treachery often runs just as deep.”

Her coat slipped from her shoulders, pooling around her feet, followed by her pants and gloves. Alixka shivered but did not dare press herself back into his embrace. His tantalizing little kisses along her nape only served to make her shiver more. Xemnas saw this and pulled her back to him possessively, smiling at the little sound that came from her soft pink lips.

“What I want to know is how deeply your passion runs for me.”

Heat rising inside of her served as a potent way to warm her despite now being naked. She gave a small wriggle as she found herself becoming quickly and involuntarily aroused by the deep, rich cadence of his words.

“Was last night not a testament to that passion, Superior?” At this he chuckled, a smooth, decadent sound that vibrated to her core.

“What wouldn’t a lovely thing like yourself do to live another day?” He whispered. “But now you know you’re safe. Do you still desire me?”

How easy it would be for Alixka to pull away at that moment, but of course that would prove counterproductive to her goal. Worse still was how much she DIDN’T want to pull away. Xemnas was quickly becoming like a drug, and every hit would be more heady, and more dangerous, than the next. But the drug was just too enticing. The fruit was just too sweet.

Whimpering, she turned to face him and slowly brought his hands to cover her breasts. There was to reaction in his face as he slowly closed his fingers around the soft mounds and began to grope them gently. His eyes remained on hers, Alixka thought she saw a flash of delight in them when she jumped at her nipples being pinched.

“I want to see how deep that desire runs.”

Xemnas pulled back from her and give her a small smirk as he removed his own coat. Her hand was brought to his chest and she blushed as he guided it across his strong and very well-sculpted pecs, brushing them against one of his own nipples and down to his navel. Alixka closed her eyes momentarily as she felt how inconveniently warm his body was, and how inconveniently arousing it was to feel his bulge in those constricting leather pants.

“Lay down.”

She obeyed him and stretched her body out onto her bed and looked up at him expectantly, but he showed no sign of joining her.

“Won’t you come to me, Superior?”

“Is that what you desire?”

Alixka did not answer with words, but gave him a look that silently beckoned him to come closer. Xemnas obliged her, placing himself on top of her and enfolding her in his arms. A sharp gasp escaped her as she took in his firm, intoxicating warmth pressing against her, his lips running slowly down her neck, his hips grinding into her and making her body burn and swell with lust. 

“Yes, Superior.” she whispered. “It is what I desire.” 

She was about to close her arms around him but he suddenly pulled away from her, gazing down at her with thinly concealed satisfaction. Immediately she felt the absence of his body against her and whimpered softly, giving him even more satisfaction. 

“Soon enough.” He replied, moving a little closer to her but still standing and not returning to the bed. His roving golden eyes traced down her enticing, nubile form and caused her to rub her thighs together shyly as she awaited him. “But not before you demonstrate to me just how deeply your desire runs for me.”

The way he spoke to her cause heat to throb between her legs, without even realizing it Alixka ghosted her hand across her body and down to where that heat was. Apparently this was exactly what he wanted.

“Yes, that's it. I want to watch you.”

Her head jerked up and she looked at him slightly dumbfounded. For a moment she held his gaze as she wondered if she had heard him correctly. She had.

“I’m waiting.”

Violet eyes fluttered shyly at him as she brought her hand back to her aching clit. Alixka closed her eyes as she touched herself, shifting her thoughts between the man she longed for and the man who was standing before her. And how badly she craved the touch of both of them.

“Open your eyes.”

Again she obeyed and this time found her task not nearly as filthy as when she began. Her eyes ran down his body, taking in the way the muscles in his bare chest slowly heaved in and out; moving further still down to his strong legs and alluring waistline, hidden behind the tight leather of his pants. She noticed how those deep amber orbs flashed at her with need and a loud moan escaped her as her fingers moved a little faster.

“Very good.” Xemnas whispered, his eyes pinned to the erotic scene before him. The longer his gaze stayed upon her, the more inflamed Alixka felt herself becoming. It was almost like sorcery. He reached out for her free hand and brought it to his clothed bulge, causing her eyes to widen as she felt the concealed hardness between his legs.

“Please...touch me…” She whispered as she felt his hips thrust into her hand.

“Blessings come with patience, sweetheart.” He pulled away from her and removed his pants, relishing how she blushed at the sight of his impressive cock. It only served to make her even more aroused as she eagerly brought her free hand back to him. Xemnas pulled away from her again, chuckling at how desperate she was slowly becoming.

“Your desire does run deep.” He said approvingly. “But I’m still not convinced.”

Alixka glanced up at him as he brought her chin closer to his cock; eyes still oh him, she closed her lips around his length slowly. The second she had done this, she felt him grab a fist full of her hair. It scared her at first before she realized that he was moaning in response. This strangely thrilled her and she began to lick up and down his cock with more enthusiasm.

His fingers deeply massaging her scalp and pulling at her hair served to encourage her as she let the member slip from her mouth lazily and she closed her hands around it and let her tongue run up and down the head. As she did this she allowed her other hand to return to pleasuring herself, moaning softly as his cock slid in and out of her mouth. Suddenly he jerked back from her and motioned for her to lay back more.

“Continue pleasuring yourself while I watch you.” He ordered.

She compiled but was soon beginning to think him cruel. To lay there beside her, naked, mere inches away from her and not touch her, was practically sadistic. Her moans surprised her as she brought herself closer and closer to the edge, she glanced at her enemy lover, silently begging him to understand just how much she desired him. And how much she hated herself for it.

“Very good. Your body is aching for me, isn’t it?”

Alixka did not respond, moving her fingers faster in the hopes of ending this sooner.

“The way you’re body shakes with lust, it’s very appealing.”

_ Shut the fuck up and fuck me already you beautiful, sexy son of a bitch! _

“Yes, that’s it, cry out. Writhe for me. Only I can make you squirm like this.”

_ Either touch me or let me come in silence! Your voice is driving me insane! _

“Imagine it's me doing this to you. Yes, good girl.”

_ Your voice has no right to sound so sexy! _

“Imagine my hands agonizing you to pieces.”

**_DAMNIT!_ **

“Do you want to scream?”

**_CUT IT OUT!_ **

“Is your body desperate for me?”

**_I WILL END YOU!_ **

“You’re sooooo beautiful like this.”

_ And you would look even more beautiful with Graceful Dahlia at your neck and Stormborn up your ass! _

His erotic taunts both enraged and aroused her at the same time. And just when she thought she could not take anymore of this she finally felt his hands brush against her breasts. 

Apparently one touch was all it took to bring her over the edge as her body arched forward as her orgasm washed over her. Xemnas grabbed her hand and moved it quickly under his, milking her pleasure. Alixka took several deep breaths as she recovered from her high, running her hand up her body slowly as she contemplated what she had just done.

“That is the depth that I want your passion to run for me. Always.” The silver haired man purred into her ear as he pinned her body under his. She whimpered as her legs here brought to his waist. “Now, you are ready for me…”

Alixka barely had a moment to register his words before she cried out at his length plowed into her, it’s imposing size sheathing her entrance almost painfully. At once she felt herself becoming aroused again and worked her mind overtime to keep herself from showing her arousal to him. Damn was it difficult.

His thrusts were deep and intentional, almost bestial. Soon she found her resolve melting away with every lustful thrust as her voice echoed in the room. 

_ Fuck it. This is still not betrayal. _

“Xemnas!” She moaned loudly as she found herself coming closer to the edge once more. “Oh fuck...please...Xemnas…”

“Good girl.” He murmured. “I know you love it. So stop holding back.”

He snapped his hips against hers as she met her climax with one last enticing moan that only encouraged him to follow her in ecstasy soon after. Bucking his hips into her once or twice more before their pleasure was fully spent. Alixka pretended to have trouble breathing in the hopes he would move away from her quickly and he obliged her. That was too incredible than it had any right to be. Fucking Xemnas.

“Marluxia was a fortunate man.” He remarked with a smirk.

_ I was the fortunate one! She thought. Too bad I will never fully give you what I gave to him. Respect! _

“And now how fortunate I am to have my enemies most valued treasure.”

_ Don’t flatter yourself, you bastard! If I don’t take care of you myself, the keyblade will! _

She told herself this over and over, even as her body eagerly responded to his kiss as he prepared to leave her room. And that couldn't come soon enough.

“With Vexen and Zexion’s demise you are now our most proficient mind in the Organization.” He said before leaving. “Vexen’s lab is now at your disposal. Use it well to better our interests.”

So there was good in this sin. Vexen had owned books that she could not find in the library, books that he never allowed anyone, hardly even Zexion most of the time. Surely there would be more information about the keyblade and replicas in them, maybe even more about Radiant Garden. All the better towards her goal of vengeance. Alixka nodded and allowed a small smile to come to her face.

“Yes, understood, Superior.”

This was not betrayal, not if it helped towards something he would have wanted. This was not betrayal.

_ ~~~ _

_ “You never told me you were so smooth on your feet!” She laughed. _

_ “Well, how many time do we get to dance together like this, Miss?” _

_ With another spin, he stopped and brought her face to his and placed a gentle kiss upon her forehead. _

_ “Honestly I’m not one for dancing. But I enjoyed that immensely. I hope you did as well, Miss Kalai.” _

_ She smiled in agreement, staring up at the kind face with a strange feeling of affection rising within her. He was not always so kind to her. But he was certainly much kinder than her father had ever been to her. If only… _

_ “This gown. This was the one I was admiring yesterday, remember? Braig said someone brought it for me but said he was sworn not to say who. Dilan, was it you?” _

_ He did not answer her, but merely smiled. _

_ “It suits you very well, Miss.” _

_ That was not the answer she was expecting, or even the one she had wanted. But somehow it would suffice. In the next moment she gazed up at him with uncertainty. _

_ “Can I tell you a secret, Dilan? It’s something really bad.” _

_ He chuckled at this but obliged her all the same. What truly bad secrets could a thirteen year old girl have? _

_ “I...wish my mother had married a man like you. I wish you were my father.” _

_ He sighed as he took her hand into his. _

_ “And as I’ve said before, Miss. If you were my daughter, I would be the happiest man in the world. I’m sorry that your father cannot see what a splendid girl you truly are.” _

_ ~~~ _

Another dream. Another memory.

Alixka stared up at the ceiling for a very long time before she forced herself out of her bed. Of course she knew she was not expected to go out today, not after yesterday. But she still wanted to be up and about after yet another restless night.

_ Oh yeah! _ She thought.  _ Xaldin and I were supposed to spar today! _

But as she dragged herself out of bed Alixka found her body felt heavy and her arms as limp as blades of grass. The previous evening had taken a lot out of her not just physically but mentally as well. And it wasn’t just Xemnas.

Her mind was still comprehending what had transpired between Saix and herself. She had begun to wonder if he was aware of her true role in Marluxia’s coup, she had even begun to wonder if he was aware of what had happened to Zexion since he and Axel were so close.

There were so many secrets in this organization, and so much for her to understand if she was to begin forming a plan to bring Xemnas down. The more she thought of it, the more she began to wonder if she was in over her head. Maybe simply surviving should be enough for her. 

No. Marluxia would not want that. It wasn’t enough just to survive. She wanted to return to her past life. And to do that she needed more answers.

Alixka was no scientist. Combat and adventure were what suited her best. But she now had a whole laboratory to herself. Might as well take advantage of it.

~~~

Somehow the basements now seemed even more ominous without Vexen. Alixka forced her apprehension as far down as she could as she studied the rooms which now belonged to her. The research and knowledge that was now at her disposal. 

As she walked around the lab she could not help but recall another time she walked around in this lab, broken and mute as she was told about her strange new existence and her glorious purpose. Well supposedly glorious. Now Alixka did not know if she even had a purpose at all. Perhaps Vexen’s research could help her.

She sat in his little study separate from the actual lab and stared at the many books scattered about on the table and floor. One caught her eye as it strongly resembled her own journal. She picked it up and read the first page that had written on it “Accounts From Previous Life”. Alixka flipped through the pages, not sure what she was looking for. Until she thought she saw the word “Kalai” written on one of the pages. She read.

_ I came upon Xehanort speaking to Lady Kalai in the courtyard this afternoon. It’s rare to see him outside the lab. They were discussing what we have been accomplishing. Our current research into the heart and the door to all worlds. It is all quite fascinating but something in the way he spoke to her did not sit well with me. I admit I’ve begun to have doubts about just where our research is leading. But with every new experiment my intellectual curiosity continues to be piqued. Xehanort has a way of bringing it out, not only in me but in Ienzo as well. After all, there is no knowledge completely useless to the world so on we press. _

Experiments? Research into the heart? She recalled speaking to Xehanort about these things. At the time though, not much thought was given to his words. But as they slowly came back to her, she finally began to wonder what had he been intending with these experiments in the first place. And why had he been so adamant that she join them. Had Xemnas actually planned to make her one of the founding members as well? Alixka read on.

_ Lady Kalai no longer resides in this castle. Dilan informed me that it was His Lordships decision but I am not fully convinced. I could see the look in his eyes. There was obviously more to it and I think I know what that is. It involves the happenings in the lab no doubt. Dilan has frequently instructed her never to go there. Considering our experiments I can understand why. But his concern for her is unlike the others. Even her uncle, Lord Ansem, does not appear as deeply protective of her as Dilan is. How interesting. _

This entry was even more fascinating than the first. Though her memory was still hazy, Alixka did recall being told that she was supposed to leave the castle. She remembered not knowing why, and she remembered that she was sent to live with Kairi. But everything else beyond that she could not recall until the time she wound up in Traverse Town. What were the experiments? And what was so bad about them that she had to leave? 

Now that the gate was open, Alixka could not help but run forward. The rest of Vexen’s old journal did not have much left of consequence. But she did notice the names that appeared most frequently besides her own: Aeleus, Braig, Ienzo, Dilan, Lord Ansem.

Marluxia had told her that the first six members of the Organization were all apprentices to the castle in Radiant Garden. Six founding members, six apprentices. And among them, one of them may actually be her father. From the nearby table, Alixka picked up a pen and paper and began writing out several names.

“A L I X K A… K A L A I”

“X I G B A R...B R A I G”

“V E X E N...E V E N”

“L E X A E U S...A E L E U S”

“D I L A N...X A L D I N”

The man in her dreams! It was Xaldin! Zexion, she knew, had been Ienzo. But when she wrote out the name of Xemnas, she could not find a way to match it with any name in particular. Xehanort already had an X in it. So where did Xemnas get his name from? Why not just use Xehanort, if he was going with the idea of adding X’s to everyone's names. Something came to her then, she didn’t understand it but she decided to write out another name.

“R O X A S...S O RA”

Sora! Roxas was Sora’s Nobody! That explained how he was able to use the keyblade! But that still didn’t explain how Xion could. And any names that Alixka wrote out for her made no sense to her mind. But she was getting off track, she still wanted to know the identity of Xemnas. Alixka flipped through the pages again, trying to see if there were any names that could have matched with his plus an X. None did but then another thought came to her. One she did not want to think of. At least not yet.

She wandered around the lab some more, at this point rather aimlessly. The thought in her head about the identity of Xemnas still flying around in her head with great annoyance. To combat it, she picked up a notebook left on the exam table.

It was untitled but as she ran her fingers through the pages she soon realized there were notes about replicas. Similar to the Riku-Replica used in Castle Oblivion. Alixka did not understand all of the notes but she noticed at once one name that kept coming up in the notes: Xion.

Alixka surmised that Xion was likely a replica as well, maybe even a Sora replica. It would make sense in case Xemnas could not gain control of Sora like he had originally intended at Castle Oblivion. But now there were two keyblade wielders in the Organization.

And now thought about Xemnas’ identity began to gnaw at her brain once more. It made no sense to her but still it would not abandon her thoughts. Taking the notebook out from her pocket she slowly began to write what had been perplexing her all this time:

“X E M N A S...A N S…”

“Hey, Princess! You in here?”

Alixka quickly closed the notebook and put it back where it had been as Xigbar appeared before her. She tried to appear as though nothing was going on out of the ordinary.

“I don’t know how many times I’ve told you that I hate that name!”

“Well excuse me, Princess! You didn’t mind it so much before.”

“What are you talking about?”

The Freeshooter gave her a sly grin as he studied her expression, he noticed the piece of paper she had been writing on.

“How ironic.” He said. “You were sent away to avoid this fate. Just to wind up here after all. Maybe you should have never left.”

“Are you gonna tell me what you're talking about or am I going to have to beat it out if you?”

“As if! All I’m trying to do is warm you not to get too in over your head. You’re just a tiny piece in a much bigger picture.”

“Still rambling!” Alixka scoffed. “And what do you care what I do anyway?”

Xigbar took a few steps closer to her and leaned in to meet her confused gaze. His golden eye flashing her a mischievous look.

“Beats me.” He said. “Maybe I just have a thing for cute little brunettes…”

At once she brought her arms up as though she were going to knock him over with a gust of wind. He sensed it and immediately stepped back.

“In all seriousness, I came to see where you were. Xaldin was looking for you.”

~~~

Alixka should have known that she was in no position to fight, even if it was only for fun. For the first time in many, many months, she found herself weak even as she forced her body to continue. Xaldin picked up on it right away though and paused mid attack to figure out what was wrong.

“Why did you stop?” She asked irritably. “Don’t hold back!”

“Your mind is not on the battle.” He observed. “It’s affecting you quite obviously.”

“UGH!!!”

She lunged at him but he merely stepped out of the way of her attack, her footing was not good and at once she found herself on the ground. Hot tears were beginning to form that she could not understand. Why was she so upset? Xaldin sighed and took a seat next to her before she had the chance to get up again.

“What’s on your mind, Alixka?” He began. “It’s not like you to be so unfocused.”

“I’m sorry.” She replied with a sniff. “I just have a lot on my mind.”

“I can see that. Care to share?”

“It’s nothing of consequence.” He chuckled at this. Always so shy about her thoughts, even now.

“If that’s the case then you wouldn’t mind telling me, right?”

She sighed. Honestly how could Alixka possibly express to Xaldin what she was currently feeling. Confusion? Anger? Restlessness?

“I...just haven’t been fully right in my mind since I came back. That's all.” She said. “Yesterday Saix challenged me. I came on top, of course, but the whole incident left me feeling...unsettled.”

“Saix?” He raised a curious eyebrow at her. “His powers are such that he hardly needs training. I wonder why he did that? And with such an...uh...unmatched opponent?”

“I said I beat him!” She snapped. “Well, I would have beat him, if Xemnas had not come in.”

“Xemnas?” Now he was truly interested. “What did he want?”

At once Alixka lowered her head. She could not possibly tell her mentor just how she managed to secure her survival. He wouldn’t understand, he’d probably be disappointed with her. But at the same time, why did she care?

When she did not respond for several minutes, he placed an arm around her, unintentionally touching a sensitive spot on her neck and noticing a dark mark there. And it appeared recent. Xaldin’s eyes flashed with momentary rage before he forced himself into calm.

“Alixka…” He began slowly. “What happened at The Altar of Naught? After I left you there?”

“They...Saix and Xemnas...they spoke to me about Castle Oblivion. Xemnas pardoned me…”

“But what happened?”

“What do you mean?”

“How was the pardon achieved?”

“Just as we discussed!” More tears began to form that she bit back intently. “Officially, I was forced into the coup and due to Axel’s incompetence I was unable to do anything to help myself and…”

“Officially?”

Finally Alixka could not keep her tears from falling any longer. She turned away from him and he sighed once more. Xaldin was no fool, he could easily guess what had transpired. And never had he ever questioned his purpose or nature as a Nobody more than he did at that moment. Rage boiled in him even as he tried to maintain his tone. Alixka may be the only being left in the world that he could truly care about.

“I’m tired.” She confessed. “Castle Oblivion made me realize many things. I can’t continue with this life. I want to go back to who I was. Who I used to be.”

“Who you used to be?” His eyes widened a little. “So you remember then? Beyond Traverse Town.”

“Yes.” Alixka replied. “It came to me slowly at first. In dreams but then Marluxia, he…” She trailed off as she allowed her eyes to meet his. “There is still a lot I don’t remember but I know enough to know that…that…”

“Training as always, Alixka? Your mentor has taught you well.”

It was all Xaldin could do not to fly into a protective rage as Xemnas approached them. What father wouldn’t?

“Besting Saix yesterday and now Xaldin? I may have to switch around ranks.”

Alixka laughed softly even as turned her face away from the Superior as he continued speaking.

“In any case. I’ve come to inform you that three days from now you and Axel are to return to Castle Oblivion.”

“May I ask why?”

“Namine is still missing.” Was the answer. “And there are things there that need to be dealt with before we close up all operations there. Understood?”

She felt as though there was probably more to it. Most likely with her gone she would not be able to learn more about Radiant Garden. But it didn’t matter, this was actually a good thing. With Axel firmly under her thumb and no other distractions, Alixka could fully focus on searching for the “chamber of waking” that she had heard so little about but apparently was powerful enough to convince Marluxia that they were not alone. Xaldin rose to his feet.

“Are they the only two making this journey?”

“They are the only ones alive from the previous assignment there. Does it not make sense?”

The Whirlwind Lancer bit his tongue to prevent himself from questioning The Superior any more. He was still their leader.

“Indeed. Forgive me.”

“Very well then. Alixka, we shall discuss your assignment in further detail later.”

His disappearance did little to calm the anxiety in either of them. They both seemed to be thinking the exact same thing. Though neither dared to say a word for several minutes.

“Alixka…”

“I know what you’re going to say.” Alixka murmured. Which surprised Xaldin because he didn’t even know what he was about to say. “As I said before, Castle Oblivion made me realize many things. And when I returned here I realized that I could have a greater purpose. Greater than anything Xemnas could have for me. If only...”

“Alixka! What are you saying?!” He stormed. “What did you have to do at The Altar of Naught?!”

“What does it matter if I secured my survival?! You said yourself that nothing remains if Nobodies are destroyed.”

“But degrading yourself…”

“Don’t insult me!” Angry tears streamed down her face. “I wasn’t made to do anything. What happened between me and Xemnas was not about survival! It was about…”

She paused, the walls had ears. Never would she say what was truly in her mind aloud. Even to Xaldin. He grabbed her arm roughly and brought her face to his.

“What?! Tell me!”

Moving as close as she could to him, she murmured one word to his pointed ear, so soft that he had to strain to comprehend.

“Revenge.”

He shoved her, violet eyes burning with anger and disappointment.

“What you speak is treason.” He said. “And I can’t keep protecting you…”

“Maybe I no longer need protection, Xaldin.” She replied. “Maybe it’s time for me to take back control of my destiny from him.”

“And just how do you think you will do that?”

Alixka hesitated. Honestly she had no idea how she would do this. Only that she had to. And that she owed her explanation to no one. Not even Xaldin.

“Alixka, you really have no idea what you are saying.” He continued. “This is about more than Marluxia, isn’t it?”

Nothing got past him.

“So what if it is?! What’s so wrong with wanting to go back to the way things were?”

“When Kingdom Hearts…”

“And what if it’s never completed?! What did you and the others even do before Roxas? AND WHY WAS I SENT AWAY?!”

Her anger had gotten the better of her yet again. She quickly covered her mouth with her hands, staring at the rather dumbfounded expression in his hard face.

“So that’s what this is.” He signed. “You remember.”

“Yes.” She replied. “And I remember who Xemnas used to be. I remember almost everything now. But there is still something I still don’t understand.”

“And what is that, Alix…”

“KALAI!” She cried out. “That was my real name wasn’t it?!”

She vanished before he could say anything else. Leaving him to watch the remaining black and purple fragments of her departure with bewilderment, and a heavy feeling in his chest he was not used to.

Xaldin had always hated that name, from the moment Xemnas had given it to her. In his mind she would always have one name. And now in the one moment that she probably needed to hear it…how could he? It was odd, even without a heart, he still felt just as unsure about his bond with her as he had when she was born.

~~~

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE'S COMING WITH YOU TO CASTLE OBLIVION?!”

The moon may not be full and not in his direction, but it was still all Saix could do to maintain his composure as Axel delivered his unpleasant news. The redhead sighed.

“It was the boss’ orders.”

“I assumed that! I was the one who decided who should go in the first place, remember?! I would have never allowed her there a second time! Not after…”

“Do you think she may be aware of the chamber too?”

“Doubt it! Alixka was merely Marluxia’s puppy. And as puppies do, she followed him loyally to the end. That’s all that this is about…”

“Uh..I wouldn’t be so sure…”

The blue haired man had his back to his friend. Now he turned around with interest.

“What’s THAT supposed to mean?!”

Axel paused before pulling from his pocket a small black book. It was one of the journals every member of the Organization had to chronicle their time as Nobodies. He handed it to Saix but then thought better of it and opened it instead.

“I found this after I dealt with Zexion. And before I left for good.” He explained. “It was Marluxia’s, and it has some...interesting entries about Alixka I thought you’d find interesting as well. Maybe even helpful.”

Saix snatched the book from him and began flipping through the pages. A look of disgust twisted into his scarred features as he read one page.

“These are just accounts of their intimacy!” He said. “If I wanted to read pornography…”

“Ohhh nooooo.” The redhead couldn’t help but grin at his friends austerity. “I mean, yeah, that’s what a lot of it is. But if you delve deeper into the pages…”

He took the book away from him and flipped through the pages.

“Ah! Here we go!” They read together in silence.

_ I fully admit that when No. 0, Alixka, arrived here, I saw her only at a potential plaything. Something pretty to fill in the void of emptiness I often feel in this mundane existence. But the more time we spend together, the more she fascinates me. At this point, even if I never get the opportunity to touch her, it will not matter to me so long as I can spend more time with her. From the moment her powers awakened at the Dark Margin I could tell that she was different. For one, her power and weapon and very similar to those of our No. III, Xaldin. They also share similar colored hair and eyes. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t notice how similar they behave in battle, though Alixka is more reckless than he but that may be just youthful impulsiveness. It can’t be a mere coincidence. I must learn more. _

“Xaldin…” Saix murmured. “I’ve noticed it too. And I was always curious about why she lived in the castle if she wasn’t an apprentice...or a test subject…” He continued to turn the pages.

_ Alixka is avoiding me. I can tell. Sometimes when I’m walking into the library or down the halls I see one of her Nobodies quickly vanish behind me. I’m beginning to wonder if she is now secretly afraid of me. What happened that night after we returned from Hollow Bastion...it’s been on my mind a lot. And not just our kiss. Also the way she behaved while we were there, and her beautiful harp playing...I don’t believe that she has never been to this world. Yesterday after completing recon in the Underworld, I decided to return to Hollow Bastion to further investigate. It was more difficult because Maleficent and her cohorts were holding council. But I did come across something interesting: a large portrait of a young woman who strongly resembled Alixka, they could have been twins. She was wearing a lovely blue dress, and was sitting at a harp… _

Axel turned a few more pages. “This is around the time we left for Castle Oblivion. It does get very raunchy at times, but start here…”

_ There can be no doubt in my mind now. Alixka was from Radiant Garden before it became Hollow Bastion. And Xaldin is her father. I know I must tell her, as soon as I find the right words. And I don’t know why but on reading more from the tome and visiting that world on my own a few more times, something is squeezing in me that I cannot understand. She is so fortunate, to have something from her past to hold onto. Larxene and I, we have no such thing. Maybe that’s why we became so close in our early days in the Organization. And now that I have Alixka, I don’t want to ever let go of her either. I don’t care what Xemnas says, we do have the ability to feel. And when I am Superior, I will unlock the truth he keeps from us… _

“Damnit!” The blue haired man snapped. “So Marluxia had his own doubts about Xemnas as well…”

“Yep.” Axel agreed. “Good thing Sora took care of him. Something tells me we wouldn’t be in his good graces if he had succeeded.” He turned one more page. “Now read this.”

Saix did so but quickly recoiled as he thrust the book back at his friend. Apparently he had read something better left not known.

“Oops! Maybe not that part…uh…” Turning the pages more. “Dang some of this make me kinda jealous...okay...here. Start here.”

_...the maiden and nymph, both of them are truly enchanting creatures. And to think that both of them are mine. Afterward Alixka and I spoke more about what I’ve been feeling. That we are not alone in this castle. Earlier today I had her and Larxene conduct a search for this so called chamber of… _

Saix dropped the book and Axel sighed. Knowing exactly what his friend had read.

“Incredible.”

“Right?! That they would have a threesome and not invite me?!”

“Don’t be absurd!”

“Hey, just making a joke.” The redhead laughed awkwardly before resuming his serious face. “Okay. In all seriousness, it looks like we have a lot more to be concerned about than Marluxia or the senior members.”

“Obviously!” Saix replied. “And it’s not just her being Xaldin’s child. Somehow she’s gotten her hooks into Xemnas as well.”

“And we both know how THAT happened…”

“The POINT I’m trying to make is that eliminating her will not be as easy as Vexen or Zexion. If she meets her demise at Castle Oblivion than suspicion will immediately fall to us. Suspicion about the other members may even be roused once more. Perhaps...it may be easier after all to tempt the bitch to our side. You like her don’t you?”

At this Axel blushed a little.

“Uh...I don’t know if I could really charm her like Marly could. And she’s holding Zexion’s death over my head. How about we just leave her alone? I mean if between me, her AND Larxene none of us could find the chamber of waking the first time…”

“I know what you’re about to say and don’t even bother wasting your breath!” Saix said. “No matter Alixka’s motives, we have our own and we must find the chamber of waking if we are to succeed. And Alixka…” with an exasperated sigh. “Is now in the way of those motives.”

For a long time neither of them said anything. There seemed little that they could do. Xemnas was not likely to order her termination anytime soon and Alixka was equally as unlikely to draw attention to herself any longer if only to keep herself alive. And to eliminate her themselves would prove too risky. Whatever they did, though, they had only three days to do it.

What if none of them eliminated her? What if she met her demise in another fashion? Probably not on a mission at the hands of Heartless, she was still a very competent fighter, whatever else they thought of her. Maybe another member could take her out.

But who? Xaldin was out of the question and Xigbar was too close to Xemnas not to ask questions. Luxord and Roxas were too fond of the girl and Demyx...well he was out of the question for many reasons.

“The Keyblade…” Saix began. “Not even Marluxia could withstand its power…”

“I don’t get what you’re getting at…”

“Do you think you could gather some data for me?”

~~~

  
  



	22. Requiem (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Permitted to return to Castle Oblivion and with Xemnas beginning to doubt Axel's motives, Alixka's plans for revenge seem to be finally taking shape. But the closer she moves towards the truth, the closer she unknowingly brings herself to danger.

~~~

Somehow, it didn’t surprise Alixka when she opened her eyes and realized that she had teleported from the training room to the greenhouse. This was one of her favorite places in the castle after all, it always had been. But even being here could not take away the heaviness in her chest, weighing her down.

In a way, being here actually made her feel worse but at the same time she did not want to leave. She noticed that some of the plants were beginning to whither, suffering from the absence of their caretaker no doubt. Alixka didn’t know as much about plants as Marluxia but she understood enough to use her magic to help them from dying completely. 

That’s what she ended up doing as a means of keeping her mind occupied as she was surrounded by shadows of memories past. Memories of a past she wanted nothing more than to return to. At one point two Reaper Nobodies appeared to give her a helping hand, turning inside out and releasing a shimmering pink powder that seemed to completely revitalize everything in the room, including herself in a strange way. A smile came to her face in spite of her sorrow.

“Thank you.” she said to the creature when it approached her. “I know you don’t have to continue following me, but I appreciate it.” 

The Reaper swayed rather charmingly around her, making her smile widen. She had always felt as if Reapers were the prettiest of the Lesser Nobodies next to her own and the Dancers. And she remembered thinking so the first time she had ever encountered them in this very place.

_“They are very pretty. And very much like their master.”_

_“Oh? Does that mean you find me ‘very pretty’ as well?”_

_“What?! No! No I mean...yes...I...sorry…I mean...Ugh!”_

_“No need to apologize, Rosebud. I know exactly what you meant.”_

The memory stabbed at her and she felt her as her face became hot with sadness mixed with anger and she clutched herself to keep from suddenly crying. Just when it seemed like Alixka was past her regret, past her tears, and past her longing. To bring her mind back to the present, she forced her body forward and made her way towards the end of the room where the glass roof revealed Kingdom Hearts hanging in the dark sky. 

Since Roxas’ arrival, Alixka had noticed how the heart shaped moon was beginning to look less and less fractured. She suspected that his ability to free hearts was helping to make Kingdom Hearts whole. How much longer until it was complete, and even further, what would actually happen when that moment finally came?

 _So many secrets._ She thought to herself as she extended her hand to the golden moon. _But I believe of all the secrets, you are the greatest secret of them all, Kingdom Hearts. Will I ever understand? Hell, does Xemnas even understand himself?_

As she contemplated these things, she heard the door open. And for the first time since becoming a Nobody, Alixka felt for the briefest moments as if she truly had a heart. It certainly felt like something jumping in her as her thought about who might be coming here. No one ever came here, except for two others. On instinct, she rushed to the trunk of the cherry blossom tree, placing her back to it as she had often did when she would playfully elude her pink haired lover. More memories returned to her but instead of feeling sad, she actually found herself smiling. 

“Is anyone here?”

Of course it wasn’t Marluxia or Larxene. Alixka didn’t know why she even allowed herself to believe such a thing could be possible now. Such would have been too wonderful, too perfect. Such would have been nothing short of a miracle. 

No, she had to stop this. Whatever her sorrows, she had to push on and stop living in the past. Biting back an influx of tears, she moved away from the tree and revealed herself to Xion.

“Hey there, Xion.” she said, forcing herself to smile. “Well this is rare, hardly anyone ever comes here except myself.”

“Roxas is off on his own and Siax didn’t have anything for me to do so I’ve been wandering the castle today.” replied the younger girl, her eyes studying her surroundings. “This place, it’s so pretty. Is it yours?”

“In a way, I guess. It once belonged to our No. XI, Marluxia. We were very close so I guess I’m taking over this place now that...he’s gone.”

“I see.” Xion placed her hand on a bush of pink roses, running her finger along one of its petals. “I never really knew him, or any of the others who went to Castle Oblivion. But...I’m sure he must have been nice if you and he were friends.”

“He was very nice.” Alixka smiled, a pleasant warmth coming to her cheeks. She suspected that the girl had not been informed of what had transpired at Castle Oblivion and she wasn't about to tell her either.“Once you got to know him. Same with the others; well except Zexion maybe.” She made her way to the door. “Anyway, I was actually about to go back to my room for a while. Why don’t you join me, Xion. If you’re bored, I’m sure we can find something fun to do.” 

Truthfully, Alixka was really in need for some kind of company and was curious to know more about this fourteenth member. Especially since she also used the keyblade. Xion glanced at her for a few moments, she was still not used to really considering anyone a friend. Even her new closeness to Roxas was something new to her. 

But Alixka seemed nice and since she had not gotten the chance to know Larxene, she was curious to become better acquainted with her as well, the only other girl in the Organization. She smiled.

“Okay, Alixka. Let’s go.”

~~~

It really was nice having another girl in their ranks, those were Alixka’s thoughts as she finished up painting Xion’s fingernails. Larxene rarely had patience for this kind of thing. 

“Are you done yet, Alixka?” Xion giggled

“Almost!” Alixka replied. “Now! I’m done.” She took Xion’s hand and raised it to give her a better look. “Yep. This color works well! It matches your eyes!”

“Too bad we’re always wearing gloves.”

“True. But that doesn’t mean we ladies can’t do little things like this to make ourselves look better…” she smiled at the younger girl. “And feel better too.”

This was making her feel better. And the sweet smile on her face reminded her a lot of Namine.

“So tell me, Xion.” Alixka said as she put the nail polish away. “How is it that you can wield a keyblade.”

“Hmmm” Xion tilted her head thoughtfully. “I honestly don’t know. For a while, during my first missions, I only used magic. But then one day when Roxas and I were fighting a Darkside, I just...It just happened. It appeared in my hand.”

“How interesting.” She went to sit beside the younger girl. It didn’t matter to her if she was a replica. Xion was so like a real person that she might as well be one. “Most of us discover our true potential in the heat of battle. That’s how I discovered my ability.”

“Roxas told me about your powers.” Xion beamed. “That you can create storms and that your weapon can change forms.”

“Yes. But that’s not as cool as a keyblade.”

“I like the wind.” Xion confessed. “It brings movement to the trees and can create waves in the sea.”

The younger girls eyes slid shut as she thought to herself, or better yet, remembered to herself. Something odd as she could not understand where the memory had come from. Alixka noticed the thought in her face and placed an arm around her.

“Xion?”

She did not respond and it did not matter as they soon had a visitor. Xemnas. Xion has not been in the Organization long but it had been long enough for her to know to fear the Superior of The In-Between. That was just the power he had over his subordinates. Alixka took her hand as they both rose to their feet.

“Xion.” Xemnas began. “Please allow Alixka and I some privacy.”

Without a word Xion scurried out, but not before turning to Alixka at the last moment with a little smile. Alixka smiled too in spite of herself before turning to her enemy lover.

“Isn’t It a fascinating creature?” He asked her. “One could almost forget that It’s not truly real.”

“It?”

“I mean Xion, of course.” Alixka made a face.

“Xion isn’t an ‘It’. Even if she is a replica, she’s still like us, isn’t she?” At this Xemnas merely laughed.

“Still so naive.” He placed his hands on her cheeks. “Sweet, naive Kalai.”

“I’m really going to need you not to use that name with me.” She said. “I don’t like it.”

“Why not? It was your name after all. Your true name.” Xemnas slid his hands from her face down her neck and to her breasts, squeezing them a little through the fabric of her coat. “I always thought it was a lovely name.”

Alixka smirked at him even as the heat began to rise between her legs.“Oh? If that’s the case then maybe I should use YOUR true name…”

His lips crashed against hers as he pounced upon her, pinning her to the bed roughly as he deepened the kiss. Maybe asking that was not the best idea. Or maybe it was.

“Insolent girl…” he murmured. “But it’s that very insolence that I find so alluring. The thought of taming you...it thrills me.”

Now Alixka was angry. But not really. As she felt her coat fly away from her body, she couldn’t help but want to poke him a little more. The thought of what he would do...thrilled her as well.

“He couldn’t tame me.” She grinned. “Even when completely at his mercy, he never tamed me. No one tempers the Maiden of Tempests. What makes you think you can?”

Xemnas chuckled. Such an infuriating, arousing sound! Her pants slid from her legs as he buried his face between them; taking in fully the headyness of her scent, her heat, her taste.

“I have my ways of procuring submission. Like this…”

Without any warning his tongue slid inside her heated entrance and at the same time his fingers pressed roughly against her clit. Alixka’s eyes widened before she melted into a puddle of moans. Fucking Xemnas.

“You are my Superior.” She whimpered, hoping to goad him further. “But no man can tame me.”

“Is that a challenge, sweetheart?”

He pulled away from her heat to remove his own coat, followed by his pants. She grinned. This was like playing with fire. But it was also strangely fun.

“You are not used to challenges, are you?”

_And I’m sure you’re not used to having to procure respect!_

“I am not.” He admitted. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not open to them.” Xemnas pounced on her again, taking her slender legs to his broad shoulders. “Challenge accepted.”

Strong hands pinned her hands above her head as he began to lavish her wildly. Lips and fingers never stilling or leaving her body as his cock slammed into her over and over again. But even with this furious (and amazing) show of dominance, Alixka still sought to entice him more.

“Tame me if you can!” She cried. “You never will! But I’m enjoying your attempt to! Yes! Yes! Ahhhh!”

His hand gripped her face as he brought his close to hers for a fierce kiss. Lingering only for a moment before his lips laid siege to her neck. Strong hips still rolling into her with deep and erotic intention.

“Your insolence only goads me on.” Xemnas hissed. “I will fuck that insolence out of you. You will be mine.”

Alixka couldn’t help but giggle, she had never known the Superior to use such language. Okay, she would play nice now.

“Oh, please! My Superior! Pleaseeee!”

“I will tame you.”

_You’re amazing in bed, but don’t flatter yourself!_

“Yes! Tame me! Please!”

“Do you like how I pleasure you into submission?”

_I may be at your mercy at the moment but I submit only to Marluxia!_

“Pleasure me more!”

“Good girl.”

_Fuck you bitch! I will end you!_

“Xemnas...please…”

Her eyes began to flutter as he his thrusts made her temporarily lose control. His name flew from her body as she trembled with pleasure, her body glazed over with sweat and arousal.

Xemnas pulled away from Alixka, eyes locking with hers as he brought his fingers to his lips and tasted her essence dripping from them sensually. The sight caused an involuntary pulse in her and she bit back a whimper. She wasn’t all that sure she was ready for round two just yet.

“Xemnas…” She whispered.

“Have I given you a potent lesson in obedience?”

“Oh…” She blushed, the facade was beginning to even fool her. “Yes. You are my Superior...in more ways than one.”

“Mmmm.” He chuckled and cupped her cheek affectionately. “Good girl. I reward those who obey me.”

He placed a soft kiss on her forehead, lingering for a moment to take in the scent of her hair. This was becoming less and less enraging to Alixka. But she forced herself to stay focused.

“Why am I being sent to Castle Oblivion again?”

“I think you already know the answer to that…”

“If you’re still concerned about where my loyalties lay, don’t be. They are with you and…”

“Oh I know they are. It is for that very reason why you are going there.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Axel. I’m not fully convinced that Vexen was a traitor. With him gone our plans for the Replica Program are severely derailed.”

Xemnas turned away from her as he put his clothes back on. It was all Alixka could do not to scream out what she knew to him, a promise was still a promise.

“I want you to observe him. Report anything suspicious back to your Vixens. Understood, Alixka.”

She had been waiting for this moment, biting the inside of her jaw to maintain her poker face. Finally! This sin may very well pay off soon!

“Understood, Superior.”

He turned back to her with a little smile of satisfaction. “Will I have to subdue your insolence anymore?”

Alixka smiled back at him. “Only if you feel is necessary, Superior.”

“I do.” Xemnas approached her and kissed her greedily. She moaned softly into the kiss but when she reached out to him to pull him closer, he jerked away quickly. “But not anymore today. You have learned your lesson well. I shall give you another example of my...superiority...another time. In the meantime, prepare for your journey to Castle Oblivion.”

The moment he was gone, Alixka broke out into laughter.

“Obedience.” She scoffed. “Whatever, Xehanort. Too bad for you I had my fingers crossed.”

~~~

_Dilan held her hand in his for a few more moments, ensuring that she was calm enough to be brought back inside. He would endure the party for the rest of the night so long as he didn’t see her cry anymore. How could they be so cruel to her? When her only sin was to be born in this terrible situation?_

_“Do you see those flowers, Miss?” He asked, pointing to one of the flower beds next to them. She turned around as he plucked a few for her._

_“They’re pretty.” She murmured. “And they share my name, right?”_

_“Indeed. Such amazing plants. That they can bloom and be beautiful not only in the warmth of spring and summer, but also on dark winter nights like this one. That is their strength. Their noble strength.”_

_Dilan smiled as he arranged one of the white blossoms in her hair._

_“Your name means ‘noble strength’.” He went on. “And it’s true. There is strength in your heart, Kalai. And nobility in your character. You must believe that, no matter what anyone says. Do not allow anyone to make you forget the power in your name, and in yourself. Not even your own father.”_

_Tears began to form again in her eyes, but they were not ones of sorrow. Never had she experienced such tenderness and it was more than a little overwhelming to her._

_“I will try to be strong.” She said. “And I will try to be noble. Always.”_

~~~

Another dream. Another memory.

Alixka rolled over in her bed, eyes still closed as she thought more about her dream. And what had transpired between her and Xaldin. She had no regrets in her actions in the past weeks but she still found herself oddly unsettled at the thought of his disappointment in her.

Xaldin had been the one who had found her. He had been the one to teach her how to fight. He had taught her about missions and let her use his Lesser Nobodies before she was given her own. And now, with nearly everyone she cares about gone, he was the only one left in the Organization who truly had her best interests.

How could she have let herself speak to him the way she had?

Hot wetness stained her cheeks and soaked her pillow as she began to finally open her eyes. Alixka had not seen Xaldin since that day in the training room. A few days had now passed since then and with no missions scheduled since, she had kept herself isolated in her room with only the lustful visits of Xemnas as her company. 

Tomorrow she would be returning to Castle Oblivion and who knew when she would see him again. She could not allow their final meeting before then to be stained with such harshness. And there was something else that was also bothering her.

Now that she had more time to think, she returned her thoughts back to Radiant Garden and to the apprentices. Alixka did not believe that Xemnas was Lord Ansem. He was Xehanort. But that wasn’t the only thing in her mind. She was also thinking about her last conversation with Marluxia on the matter. One of the apprentices was her father. One of the members of the Organization was her father. 

But who?

Zexion had been younger than her so he was obviously out. Xigbar was also a little too young and she never felt that whole fatherly vibe from him. Vexen had been kind to her but even in her memories as a Somebody he did not strike her as someone who could truly be her father. Lexaeus may be a strong possibility but she still was unsure about him mainly because of the lack of resemblance between them. Xemnas was also automatically out.

And then there was Xaldin. Kind and protective of her to a fault. Admonishing anyone who bothered to even look at her in a way he did not like. They shared the same violet eyes and dark hair and their skill set was similar as well their weapons.

Somewhere in the fragments of memories, she recalled a moment when he had been teaching her how to use a lance. That may account for why she was able to wield Stormborn so easily after obtaining it. And in her dreams, his Somebody treated her with as much kindness as any father would.

_This cannot go on like this.  I must speak with him today._

~~~

Now down five members, everyone was working overtime with mission upon mission. It was honestly surprising to Alixka that she had been able to stay in the castle most of the time since returning. Even Demyx was made to go out more than usual.

So she was surprised when she saw Xaldin sitting alone in The Grey Area. At once apprehension began to gnaw at her. At the thought of what she was about to ask him. If it was the case, that Xaldin was her father, why would he have kept it from her for so long? Was he afraid of Xemnas using the fact to control them both?

But even in the old life she had not been aware. All this time she was under the impression that someone supposedly cruel and pompous had been her father. Was it because he wasn’t a noble? What about her mother?

“I’m sorry.” She murmured at once. “I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that. I shouldn’t have said the things that I said.”

The Whirlwind Lancer sighed as he motioned for Alixka to take a seat beside him.

“Words spoken in anger are rarely true.” He said. “But at the same time sometimes anger is the only thing you have to keep you going. I know you were close to him…”

“This isn’t about Marluxia. Not anymore.”

“Then what is this about, child?”

Alixka hesitated, she closed her eyes to stop any tears before they even formed.

“There’s something I want to ask you. About our past lives. But...I’m afraid if I ask this it will change everything. The last bit of solace I have in this fucked up existence!”

Xaldin glanced at her with curiosity. What could that possibly be? She now knew about the old life, she knew her name. Could she have possibly discovered everything else? Could she have possibly discovered…

“Alixka.”

Of all the times! Did the concept of courteousness just fly completely over the blue haired pricks head?!” Alixka turned to him, not even bothering to conceal her irritation.

“A large Heartless has appeared in Twilight Town. We need it taken out before it causes any havoc.”

“Aren’t large Heartless now the keyblade wielder’s job?”

“Roxas and Xion are doing just that in another world. But this won’t wait. Xaldin, you are to return to Agrabah.”

Alixka and Xaldin exchanged a knowing glance before sighing in unison.

“Well if it can’t wait, it can’t wait.” She said sarcastically. “I’ll go take it out and be back in an hour tops.”

As she rose to leave her glance returned to Xaldin. A small smile came to her face as warmth rose in her chest.

“This will not take long. When you return from Agrabah, I will ask you what I wanted to ask. It’s too important for me to ask it quickly.”

“I understand, child.” A smile came to his face as well. “See you soon, Alixka.”

A knowing look came to both of their faces as Xaldin realized that he had used the “wrong” name for her. But somehow, she did not mind.

“Likewise, Xaldin.” 

~~~

An abandoned mansion. Alixka had been to this world multiple times but she never knew about this place, or that anything existed this far into the forest. But where was the Heartless?

She walked around for a few minutes, walking up the door of the mansion in an attempt to decide whether or not she should go in. Upon touching the door, she realized it was unlocked, but something was keeping her from going in. Without knowing why, Alixka turned from the door and went back to the clearing.

Someone was standing there. Someone from the Organization, she could tell from the coat. She had been under the impression that this was to be a solo mission. Maybe Xaldin had convinced Saix to let someone else come with her, that would be just like him. Always overprotective, even now.

No. Something was not right.

They were hooded, so Alixka could not tell who it was at first glance. Even when she called out to them, they did not respond.

A keyblade appeared.

“Roxas?”

No response.

“Xion?”

Nothing. Their appearance was very faintly revealed to her. No. It couldn’t be, wasn’t he supposed to be…?

“Sora?!”

He didn’t wait. He lunged at her quickly, Alixka barely had time to jump out of the way before she summoned her weapon.

“Fine, you little prick! If that’s how it’s gonna be! THIS IS FOR MARLUXIA!”

A fierce gust of wind knocked her adversary off his feet before she rushed to slash at him. She could already feel the adrenaline pumping in her blood and she glared at him with a fierce glow coming to her eyes. 

“THIS IS FOR LARXENE!”

Their weapons clashed as the adversary quickly achieved the upper hand, but Alixka wasn’t going to back down for anything. Fuck the keyblade’s power. Fuck Namine’s loneliness. Thanks to Sora, her whole world had come crashing down. She would pay him back. She would pay him back now.

“AND THIS IS FOR YOU! LET MY TEMPEST CONSUME YOU!!”

Her weapon transformed as she performed her shockwave attack, but he amazingly dodged it by creating a barrier of light around him. Her body began to emit a frightening purple glow, no holding back. Not even this. 

“I’m not used to relying on my True Limit.” She said. “But congratulations! You just earned it!”

Stormborn returned to it's spear form, extending and becoming sharper. 

"MERCILESS STORM, AWAKEN MY RAGE!"

She twirled her weapon and created several sharp cyclones before finishing with an even fiercer hailstorm. A swirl of silver lightning finished off her volatile attack but the adversary only ran through it, slashing at Alixka and critically injuring her. Their weapons clashed once more. She was already feeling weak from using her True Limit, but even so she refused to give up. If she was to fall, she would take this little prick with her.

 _I don’t remember you being this much a pain in the ass!_ She thought. _Maybe because I wasn’t fighting alone...NO! I can’t let my guard down!_

She kicked at him as her weapon remained raised, refusing to lower her guard until he was away from him. It was getting difficult. He was relentless but she knew she had no time to think.

But something was happening. As their weapons remained clashed, her adversaries face began to change. This wasn’t Sora. No…

_No…_

_NO!_

**_“XION?!”_ **

 

In her second of shock, the girls blade ran through her in a quick and merciless thrust. Alixka felt her entire body become ablaze at once as her body began to disintegrate.

 

_No…_

_This can’t happen…_

_Not yet…_

Even as she felt herself withering away, tears burned in her eyes and clouded her vision as she reached out for her assassin, not fully managing to grab her shoulder.

“Xion…” She whispered. “Why…”

The girl gave no response, only staring at her with those same hollow blue eyes Alixka recalled when she first encountered this strange Nobody. Those hollow eyes were the last thing she saw before her tears fully blinded her.

“Xaldin...I’ma be...a little...late...sorry…."

 

Nothingness

 

"......Daddy......"

~~~

“Alixka!”

Xion awoke from her trance, and when she did, she found herself confronted with a horrible image of Alixka fading away before her. What had happened?!

“No! Alixka! Noooooo!!”

Their time had been brief, but it had been enjoyable. She threw herself upon the older girl just as her form finally disappeared into nothingness.

_Nothingness._

“What...happened?!” She sobbed. “Who did this to you?! Did I…”

“Well done, No. XIV.”

Xion turned to Saix with tears streaming down her face. The blue haired Nobody appeared unaffected in the slightest.

“Saix!” Xion cried. “Alixka! She…”

“A nuisance that needed dealing with.” He said. “You have proved your worth after all, puppet.”

He said nothing more before violently striking at her neck, effectively knocking her out but not killing her. She was still useful to the Organization, without being in his way.

~~~

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To all the Xion stans out there who may be reading this, I’m sorry. I am so sorry.


	23. Holding On and Letting Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Very short chapter that was rewritten after playing kingdom hearts 3. Really could not think of a suitable summary for this.

“Xion! Xion! Open your eyes!”

The girl was roused from her deep slumber by her friends voice. She turned to Roxas, face still stained from tears, her memory of what had transpired nonexistent.

“Roxas…” She murmured. “Alixka…”

“Saix told me you were both cornered by a giant Heartless.” He said. “Alixka, she...she defended you from an attack and…”

“No!” Xion struggled to rise from her bed as the false memory of what happened began to take form in her mind. She cried out. “No! Alixka! No! It’s all my fault!”

“She saved you…”

Axel came forward from the corner of the room. Even though he had rehearsed this lie in his mind more times that he could count, somehow it coming out of his lips proved more difficult than he ever expected it to be.

“Alixka saved you.” The redhead continued. “Your here because she sacrificed herself for you.”

“But...why…”

“Because…” trying to comfort her even as his own mind battled with himself. “We can’t afford to lose one of our keyblade wielders. And she knew it.”

The door opened as Saix entered the room. He and Axel exchanged a secret, knowing glance. The deed had been done. It was time to move on with their own objectives.

“Lord Xemnas has called us all to The Round Room.” He said.

~~~

_ What is this? Where was she? Was this really what nothingness felt like? _

_ Light. Bright white light. _

_ “Where am I? Am I…” _

_ No. _

_  She was dead. There was no doubt about that...but...This couldn’t be nothingness. She could still think. She could still see. She could still...feel... _

_ What was this place? _

_ “Kalai, I’m sorry…” _

_ Her name! _

_ “Huh? Who’s there? Who called my name?!” _

_ “Kalai? Is that you?” _

_ No...could it really be? _

_ “Mother?” _

_ “Kalai!” _

_  It WAS her mother! It was! But how could that be? Wasn’t she... _

_ “No…I thought you were…” _

_ “I am, child. But...how did you…” _

_ “What is this place?” _

_ “My child, this is it. This is…” _

_ “I….I was struck down...by Xion...so that means…” _

_ “Yes, my child. You have perished.” _

_ Somehow, though she was aware of her demise, the reality had not truly set in until she heard the words from the lips of another.   _

_ “NO! No! It can’t be!” _

_ But more strange to her was not that she was essentially dead, but that she felt so strangely warm. She thought Nobodies faded into nothingness when they perished. What was this? This couldn’t be nothingness. _

_ “Why was I brought here?” _

_ “Someone is holding onto your heart in the real world. Someone refuses to let you go.” _

_ “Is the same true of you, Mother?” _

_ “I suspect my other children are still holding to my memory. For which I am grateful. However, there is someone else I’m hoping is also holding onto me...the same person no doubt holding onto you.” _

_ “My father?” _

_ There was a long silence between the two beings. _

_ “Mother? Are you still there?”  _

_ Another long silence, she had begun to worry that her mother had disappeared and it was only when she felt herself beginning to cry that her voice returned.  _

_ “Kalai,” She began. “I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am for how I allowed my husband to treat you in life. How I’m sorry I am for allowing him to separate us. And for keeping the truth from you for so long.” _

_ “That man, Lord Rowan. He wasn’t my father, was he?” _

_ “He is the father to your siblings, yes. But your father, your true father, was the only man I could ever say I loved.” _

_ “Xal...Dilan…my father is Dilan.” _

_ “Yes, my child. You were a product of our love. A true and complete love. We gave you your name because we wanted you to be both noble and strong. We both loved you so much. But fate was cruel to us both. And to you as well.” _

_ Warmth began to rise within her. If she actually had eyes, she was sure she would be weeping. If she had arms or legs, she would be running to her mother and embracing her.  _

_ All her life she was so sure that no one loved her. She clung so desperately to Marluxia because what he made her feel was the closest thing to love she had ever truly known before the return of her memories. _

_ And surely it was her father's love for her that allowed her to be transported to this place instead of fading into nothingness. Maybe Marluxia and Larxene were here as well. A pleasant thought at best. _

_ “My sweet Kalai. Could you ever forgive your foolish mother?” _

_ “Mother…” _

“Kalai! Stay with me! Please!”

_ Something was happening to her. She felt herself fading in and out of this reality. But still, it was not nothingness. What would become of her now? _

_ “Mother! Mother! Are you still there?!” _

_ No response. _

“Kalai! Kalai please! You’ve gotta wake up!”

_ “I forgive you, Mother! And I love you!” _

_ “I love you, my child. I will always love you. And I will always love your father.” _

 “I know you’re still there, Kalai! Please hold on! We don’t want to lose you a second time!”

_ “No! Please! Don’t go Mother! I never got a chance to say goodbye!” _

“Open your eyes!”

_ “Don’t. Keep me in your heart and I will always be with you.” _

“She’s conscious! Yuffie, grab me an elixir! Quick!”

_ “I love you, Mother…” _

“Kalai! Kalai! It’s me, Aerith! Oh, thank goodness!”

Reality crashed upon her quickly and violently and without realizing it, her eyes bolted open and she saw herself looking into the concerned eyes of her old friend. Her body was still hazy but she forced herself to lift her head a little with Aerith’s help. That’s when she fully took in her surroundings for the first time.

“Is this...Traverse Town?”

 ~~~

 “Alixka is no more.”

Saix had Roxas and Xion excluded from the meeting at the last moment, such was their distress. There was no need to add to the false sense of sorrow over a burdensome Nobody. And never had the Round Room been more still. Most of them had been fond of The Maiden of Tempests and no one could deny that she had been a valued member of the Organization. Six members gone, in only the span of a month or so.

No one dared ask how it happened. Though unspoken, she had been on thin ice since her return from Castle Oblivion. What her role had been in the pink haired neophytes coup would now forever be a mystery. But it was clearly enough to cause a certain air of danger wherever she passed in the corridors. Somehow, with her demise, that sense of danger only increased.

“Six members gone in such a short amount of time.” The Superior continued. “None of them will ever bask in the glory that is Kingdom Hearts. Damned to nothingness. Let us not forget this as we strive on to complete our goal. Dismissed.”

Like leaves to the wind the members scattered. But one member lagged behind the rest.

_ Kalai, my poor sweet Kalai, forgive your foolish father. It seemed no matter how hard I tried, I could never truly keep you safe. And now you're gone forever. For as long as I draw breath I will never forgive myself for letting you be damned to nothingness. For as long as I draw breath I will never forget your smile. And for as long as I draw breath I will never cease to love… _

Love? Nobodies couldn’t love. Theirs was an existence of emptiness. She may have been his child but to love was impossible. Yet what was it that he was feeling in his chest as he sat in silence on his throne?

_ Sometimes anger is the only thing you have left to keep you going. _

There was nothing left for Xaldin now. Only the hollowness of life as a Nobody. His child was gone. She would never be re-completed. Never again would he hear her laughter or see her sweet face. And their lives together had always been a ones of sorrow. Forbidden love. Rejection by her mother, damned to life as Nobodies.

Love was an alien concept to his kind. And love had not kept them together in the end. What could there possibly be left besides anger? Rage? Hatred?

“Xaldin, why are you still here?”

Saix glanced up at the older man, hardly noticing the transformation in his face from agonizing grief to stony indifference.

“You’re scheduled to visit that newly restored world today. Beast’s Castle. Return once you’ve gathered intel on the castle and it’s shadowy master. Go now.”

There was no response. No words. No sign of emotion from The Whirlwind Lancer. Nothing. Xaldin merely nodded as he vanished to his mission. There would be no tears.

~~~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus, the vicious bastard who kicked my ass in KH2 more times than I care to count was born. Let’s be honest, the Cerberus fight was not that bad, how many of y’all didn’t even know you could play as Mickey until that damn fight? Hell if I’m being honest, part of the reason Kalai was born was from me and my friends openly bitching about Xaldin and trying to figure out WHY he was such an ass.
> 
> Over time though, I have grown to appreciate his character more, so much so that his is now in my top 5 of favorite Organization members. It really pissed me off that neither Dilan nor Aeleus spoke at all in KH3, hopefully that will be remedied in Re:Mind since it looks like we MIGHT be exploring Radiant Garden after all.
> 
> One final note, so I think it's pretty obvious by now that the majority of this chapter takes place in The Final World. One of my headcanons is that Ilise's star is the star in KH3 that speaks to Sora about the birth of her child right before she dies since another headcanon is that she dies of eclampsia.


	24. Second Chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kalai returns to Traverse Town, and to humanity.

~~~

Kalai looked around her as her body rose from the bed in the Small House. Aerith still held onto her in case she was not yet stable. Yuffie sat beside them while Leon stood quietly in the corner.

“Now that you’re stable, Kalai, how about you tell us just where you vanished off to for almost two years?” He asked.

“Two...years?”

Her mind was still hazy, just hearing her old name was a lot. What had happened? Had it all been just a dream?

“After those Heartless attacked.” He went on. “We were sure you had fallen to the darkness.”

“We were so worried about you!” Aerith added. “If only Sora had been here sooner…”

“Sora?” Her violet eyes widened a little. “You mean...the keyblade master?”

“So you know him.” Leon said.

“Yeah, I encountered him not too long ago…”

So it hadn’t been a dream. It had all happened, and Kalai had re-completed to humanity after all. She had been given a second chance. And without the aid of Kingdom Hearts! So that meant…

_ Xemnas WAS deceiving us! He knew we would return to humanity after all! He was keeping all of us for some other purpose! But, what was that purpose? What about the others? What will happen to them? What will happen to... _

“Leon…” Kalai began hesitantly. “Please tell me...what has happened? What happened after I disappeared? And how do you know about Sora?”

For nearly three hours she listened as he told her everything. About how the Heartless only increased in number after her disappearance, about the young boy wielding a keyblade who banished the darkness and restored stability to the worlds. And about the shadowy figure who had stolen her uncle’s name and his research for his own terrible means.

“Soon we will be returning to Hollow Bastion.” He said. “It only makes sense that you should join us.”

“Sora and his friends disappeared soon after locking Kingdom Hearts and defeating Ansem.” Aerith continued. “But you know things about the darkness that we don’t. We could use your help.”

“How will we get there?”

“You’re know about those funny blocks that Cid is always playing with?” asked Yuffie. “They can be used to construct vessels to travel from world to world. That’s how Sora was able to do it.” a smile came to her face. “So how about it? Are you ready to return home?”

_ Home. _ Kalai hesitated. She was aware of where Sora was, sleeping in an egg somewhere in the Realm of In Between. But she was strangely unsure if she truly wanted to return just yet. At least not while it was in its current state. Leon must have sensed her apprehension.

“Things are beginning to turn around now that the witch is gone. We are hoping to help restore it to its former glory.”

“Yeah!” Yuffie chimed in. “We will be the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee! And you, Kalai, you can be our first official member!”

She smiled at her friend's enthusiasm. And she remembered what her home had once been. It had been a bright and beautiful water nurtured paradise well deserving of its name. But now, it might as well have never existed.

Kalai wanted to return to the Radiant Garden of her childhood. The Radiant Garden of her dreams. And if she could be re-completed, then what would keep her companions from doing the same? Like her father? Her mind was made up. If she could help bring back that dream, how could she possibly refuse?

“Count me in!” She said.

~~~

Cid was still working on a new vessel to make the journey. It would be a while before their departure. For a while Kalai scarcely wished to leave the small house or even be by herself for any extended amount of time. Her friends understood and made sure that one of them was always with her until she began to feel stronger again.

After about a month Kalai finally ventured out for the first time since re-completion. Little had changed since she had been there last. The first place she visited was the house in the Fifth District where she lived before the Organization.

When she had first arrived in this town she had been taken in by Levi and Iaena, an elderly couple that owned the vast nursery in the center of the district that she had worked in. For the longest time they had been as good to her as family to her and their reunion was one of as much heartfelt feelings as one would expect from a child reuniting with much loved grandparents.

Soon enough Kalai could be found as she always had been, spending her time caring for the many plants and using her magical skills to create flowers and other items sold by the Moogles. Iaena insisted that she not push herself too much while she was still recovering but Kalai was adamant that she was better. And working helped her in another way as well, it was helping to keep her mind occupied. 

Being in the nursery, Kalai could not help but think about Marluxia and the many hours they would spend together caring for his flowers or staring up at the heart shaped moon together. She had already began to wonder what had become of him and Larxene since she knew now that they couldn’t have faded into nothingness. Even if they had not known the extent of it, in the end, Marluxia had been right about Xemnas. Where were they now? Had they returned to their own world?

~~~

Another month passed, and then another, and Kalai soon began to forget her Nobody name. In the first few days, it was hard for her to remember that she had any other name besides “Alixka”. Even when she first discovered what her true name was, it had always seemed to her that “Kalai” was someone completely different from herself; like the character in some fantastic novel completely removed from her own reality. But that was not the case, Kalai was her name and she swore to herself that she would never forget it again.

And then another month, followed by another. As the time came closer for their return to their homeworld, Leon was kept busy assisting other refugees in Traverse Town. Many of the other worlds had now been restored thanks to Sora’s efforts and Leon was helping the inhabitants return to their homes using Cid’s new vessel. As he came and went, there was something that came to Kalai’s mind that she had been trying her best to suppress. 

Even if Marluxia and Larxene had re-completed, they would have no way of finding her unless they also had vessels like the one Cid was constructing. Hell, they may have even been re-completed in two completely different worlds, making things all the more difficult. She didn’t want to think of the possibility that she may never see them again. But as she made her final preparations that night before her departure, the thought would not leave her.

It was in this feeling of anxiety that Levi sent her on an errand to the accessory shop in the First District. It may have not been the best idea since she had even more time to give life to her fears. Kalai didn’t like the idea that her first love would be lost forever. She knew that Ienzo fancied her, but if they ever did reunite, it would take some time for her to forgive his actions as Zexion before she could ever think to give his love the time of day. If she ever did.

It was nearly midnight when Kalai finally arrived to the First District. Cid was just closing up shop but he kept the lights on long enough for her to quickly make her purchases and leave. Afterward she helped him close and he gave her a parcel to deliver to the Dalmatian house in the Second District. The two dogs that lived in the house had apparently lost their puppies in the chaos of the worlds breaking down. Now they were all reunited. 

“Anyone you’re looking forward to reuniting with?” he asked her as he locked the door to the shop for probably the last time. 

“Many in fact.” Kalai replied. “The people who lived with me in the castle, my friend and her grandmother, and also,” with a little smile. “My father. I’m looking forward to seeing him again.”

“I hope you won’t become a stranger to us.” he grinned. “Once things get back to normal and you return to the lap of luxury.” 

“Never!” she laughed. “I could never forget any of you. Especially you, Cid!” They shared a moment of laughter and then Kalai gazed up at the night sky. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen the stars shine so brightly like they do tonight.”

“Each one of them is a different world.” Cid told her.

“Yeah, my uncle used to tell me the same thing.” she extended her hand to the stars, to one particular one that seemed a little brighter than the others. That one, she was certain, was Radiant Garden. 

“It’s odd, when I lived in the castle, I was rarely allowed outside because my father and the others were worried about me. I never really had any inkling of the larger world, even when I lived with my friend and her grandmother. It had to take for everything to be torn away from me to understand the larger world.”

“Ain’t it funny? How things happen?” 

“It is. These last few years have been eye opening to say the least. But even so, I’m glad to be returning home.” she turned away from the stars and smiled at Cid. “It’s time I have a place to truly call home.” 

Somehow, saying this gave Kalai a strange new sense of confidence. She had been given a second chance at humanity, at happiness, at having a true home. If she could be granted this, there was no reason her lovers could not as well.

And if she could find her way back home, surely they would one day find her way back to her. They would be reunited one day, Kalai wanted to believe this, with all her heart. And it was with this new positive outlook that she said goodnight to Cid.

“I’ma be here for a bit if you need anything else.” he said. “Still got a lot to do before tomorrow.”

“Thanks, but I think I’m gonna just go sleep while I still can. After I pay a visit to the puppies!” 

Another smile lit up her face as she left Cid and made her way to the Second District, completely unaware of two pairs of malevolent eyes watching her intently from the shadows. 

~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah shit, here we go again...


	25. Nightfall (FINAL CHAPTER)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of the road...for now...

~~~

When Kalai had first come to Traverse Town, the Dalmatian house always seemed so sad in its emptiness. Now with the return of the puppies, the house seemed to radiate joy and whatever anxieties she still had, they vanished completely when she opened the door and was nearly trampled by a group of puppies welcoming her to their home with great enthusiasm. 

She laughed and let them jump all over her and lick her face; she had always loved animals and stayed with them for a little while longer even after making her delivery. The mother and father Dalmatians seemed just as happy as she was, if not more. 

 _It must be wonderful to be reunited with those you love._ She thought happily. _I hope one day I can be just as happy as this family of dogs._

As much as she would have loved to stay there and continue playing with the puppies, Kalai knew it was getting late and Levai and Iaena were surely wondering what was taking her so long to return. So she left and continued on home. 

But no sooner did she begin walking that she felt as though she was not alone walking the streets of the Second District. Looking around her, all seemed as it usually was, quiet and still and she figured it had just been her imagination. Yet the second this thought passed her mind, she was startled near to death to see a gunblade pointed at her as she walked down the alley back to her house. Kalai glared at Leon.

“What’s the big idea?!” She snapped. “Put that thing away!”

“No chance.” He replied rather casually. “There’s been whispers about two men wandering the streets in black hooded coats.”

_Black hooded coats?!_

“What?!”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t be walking alone if I were you. Isn’t your house all the way in the Fifth District?”

“I’m already halfway there.” she replied, her voice shaky. “I...should be find on my own.”

“Suit yourself. Just watch your back, Kalai.”

Before she could say anything else, Leon vanished down the corner towards the Dalmatian house. Black hooded coats. There was no doubt, that had to mean the Organization. Kalai had not told her friends about the Organization, they had just assumed that her strong will was what allowed her to return to her humanity. To an extent it was true.

But now...what could they be doing here? She hadn’t seen any Heartless since she had returned to Traverse Town. More recon perhaps? A thought even occurred to her that maybe it was Xemnas or Xigbar to bring her back into their ranks in order not to rouse suspicions. But then another thought came to her. What if one of them was Xaldin?

These thoughts continued in her mind as she made her was through the Fourth District, home now just a stone's throw away. She was sure to keep her mind focused enough to be aware of her surroundings, lest there be a repeat of that horrible night more than a year ago. If they were with the Organization, what would happen if she came upon them?

_Footsteps._

She jumped around to see what was behind her. Nothing. Kalai paused for a moment to take a seat in the Fountain Plaza and collect herself. She dipped her hands in the cool water, thinking about the fountains back home, and focusing. The footsteps began again and she closed her eyes as she silently cast a spell summoning a stream a water to come to her defense. But nothing was there.

“She senses our presence. Why do we need her again?”

“We have orders. Our place is to obey without question.”

Now she heard voices. They were soft but not soft enough for her not to take notice. Her heart began to race, it was a sensation she was so not used to that it almost alarmed her more than the idea that she was being watched. Almost on instinct she extended her arm, but then remembered that she was human again. Stormborn would answer her call no more and neither would her Vixens.

_If I run, I may be chased down. Maybe if I stay here and wait for Leon it would be better._

So she did. And for the longest time it appeared as though perhaps it had all been in her mind. Five minutes passed, followed by ten. At fifteen minutes Kalai decided it was time to continue her way back home. There was no sign of Leon but she felt that at this point she would be safe. Almost immediately she heard the footsteps again. Enough was enough.

“I know you’re there!” She screamed. “Be gone before Leon comes and kicks your ass!”

A hooded figure appeared in front of her. Kalai could not make out his features underneath the hood so she tried to determine who it was by their height and build. All of the members besides Roxas and Xion had been taller than her and so was this person. A hopeful thought came to her at once.

“Xaldin?”

No response. Of course not. That would have been too perfect. And besides, their build was smaller than his. They approached her, thankfully it didn’t seem to be Xemnas. He had towered over her, unlike this person. 

“Luxord?”

No. They removed their hood and at once Kalai made a face of disgust. If there was anyone in the Organization that she hated as much if not more than Xemnas it was the blue haired prick now standing before her.

“Don’t think for a moment that you’re going to convince me to come back!” She spat out.

“If It were up to me, trust and believe that we wouldn’t be speaking.” Saix replied coldly. “But I have not come to bring you back to the Organization. At least, not the one that you remember.”

The one she remembered? Were there other organizations? It didn’t matter. Kalai would never allow herself to be under Xemnas again. She continued to glare at him.

“Don’t make my job more difficult with your insolence, girl.” He said. “I know that may be difficult for you but I have my orders.”

“You were always so good at kissing his ass, weren’t you?” He smirked at this.

“I’m not as skilled as you are in that respect. But then again, there are certain things I cannot compare to a little siren like you. Maybe that was why he wants you back.”

“Too bad. Send my regretful decline to your Superior. I’m not going back! You can’t make me!”

“No. But I can.”

A hand was placed on Kalai’s shoulder caused a surge of fear to shoot up her body. She jerked around to be confronted by an alarming and bewildering image. 

It was Xemnas. But not really Xemnas. His hair was different and he appeared and sounded younger. Almost like how she remembered Xehanort, the way his golden eyes were looking at her certainly suggested some sense of familiarity. But even Xehanort had been older than this young man. 

None of that mattered at this moment though. His smirk was still one that she wanted nothing more than to smack away from his face and his hand on her shoulder only increased the feeling.

“Maiden of Tempests.” He said slyly. “Xemnas said that you would not come easily. No matter. In time we will tame that insolent spirit of yours and you will make a fine vessel for me. Do not fight, just come willingly and…”

Without hesitation she spat in his face and dragged him to the ground with a quick and violent yank of his silver hair. So quick that he could not comprehend what had happened right away. In another moment she was sprinting for her life in the opposite direction. Back towards the post office.

“Bitch!”

“I told you!”

“Then get that other one to put her to…”

“No! Not yet! And don’t stop time!”

Kalai was almost at the door when her way was blocked by a duo of Berserker Nobodies. She shrieked as they waved their claymores at her.

“We need her alive!”

Without thought she ran towards the back streets, knocking down boxes and trash cans to impede their way. She was trying to get to the secret waterway, with the quickest passage back to the First District and where her magic would be at an advantage in combat.

“Stop running, Alixka!” Saix panted behind her. “You’ll never get away!”

“That’s not my name anymore, asshole!” Even with terror burning within her, even as her heart was slamming against her ribs, she could not help but laugh. “Leave me alone! You can't have me! I’M NOT GOING BACK!”

She continued to run, but she knew they were behind her, she could feel breath on the back of her neck and the sound of panting mixed with her own deafening heartbeat. She was almost to the waterway when she saw the black and purple mist of someone teleporting in front of her. At the last moment she jumped down another corner.

“Damnit! Where to go?! Where to go?!”

Hot tears formed  in her eyes that she quickly forced herself to suppress as she turned the corner and ran down the alley. She had never been down this area of the Fourth District before but it didn’t matter, she was safe for a few precious moments. 

“I’m sorry, Leon. I should have listened to you and not gone off on my own!”

But she slapped herself to keep herself from crying anymore. No, she couldn’t be weak. She couldn’t cry. Not now. And not anymore. 

After all, would he say if he were to see her like this?

“Oh, Marluxia! Where are you?! Has the darkness taken you from me forever?” Peeking her eyes behind her, she could see them still on the hunt. She heard Saix call out her Nobody name and somehow it returned her resolve. “No, I’m not going back! Marluxia wouldn’t want that and neither would Larxene! I’m not giving up my second chance for anything!”

But Kalai knew she had to find reprieve soon or else she would be lost. A few times now in her life she had escaped the darkness, and now she would have to avert it once again. Her strength was wearing thin but she forced herself to push on as she continued down the alley. That’s when she noticed an open window above her, she leaped up and caught the ledge and her heart nearly burst with joy at what she saw, it was the waterway! 

“Oh perfect!” she said as she jumped into the window and slid into the shallow waters. “This will take me back to the First District! It’s far but it’s my only hope. Once there, I can hide out in Cid’s shop until Leon can take me back home!”

Thankfully it seemed as though her shadowy pursuers were gone for a few hopeful moments, but that would not let her guard down. As she ran down the tunnels, she cast streams of water behind her as a form of defense. Too bad her Nobody abilities did not stay with her as a Somebody. Or did they?

Something sharp and shocking coiled around her leg, like a whip of electricity.

SPLASH!

She fell into the water as she struggled to kick free from the trap even as she felt her body being pulled forward.

A keyblade?!

The young Xehanort pulled her body fully under his feet before releasing her and standing between her legs to impede her escape.

“You’re far too much trouble.” He said. “And all this for another reserve member?”

Terror blazed through her chest but unlike that other fateful night. She was not going back and she would fight if needed. With one blow of her knee to his crotch he was on his knees, the hold his keyblade whip had upon her disappearing.

“Fuck you!”

“You’re so not my type, little boy!”

Up on her feet, Kalai summoned a stream of water that knocked him away long enough for her to run. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the whip coming for her and she knocked it away with another water spell. She was almost to the end of the tunnel when she cried out as the whip caught hold of her wrist, crying louder as she tried to take hold of it with her other hand. 

She gripped the wall with her free hand to keep her footing but she could feel him pulling at the whip, pulling her back into his grasp but she would not have it. Despite the excruciating pain searing through her flesh, she grabbed the whip again and called upon more water, with the inevitable conduction setting her free.

Kalai would never return to the Organization. Not for anything in the world. She had been given a second chance at humanity, and she would defend it until her last breath. Fire blazed in her eyes as she crossed her arms together.

“Gale of Fury, HEAR MY…”

“DOUBLE STOPZA!”

His frightening eyes flashed with an even scarier golden glow and in the next moment Kalai felt her voice vanish before she could complete her spell. But that wasn’t even the worst thing. She couldn’t move! Her eyes wandered from one place to another as she tried to comprehend what had happened. He approached her, frozen in her combat stance, smirking as he ran his hand down her cheek.

“Don’t worry, You’re not my type either.” He chuckled. “For the life of me, what could Xemnas possibly see in such a lanky, impertinent brat like you?”

How fortunate that she was currently incapacitated by the influence of his sorcery, or he may very well have been torn apart by her rage alone. That was her final thought before he knocked her out, vision going blurry as she felt her frozen body land in the water with a loud splash.

Saix appeared behind him, he saw as the younger man fell to his knees, the pain of being kicked in the balls still ailing him, and clicked his tongue disapprovingly.

“See my point?” He asked. “I told you she’d be a pain in the ass to catch. We could have lied. We could have told him that she had died or wasn’t yet recomplete.”

“Such a lie would never hold up.” Said the younger Xehanort. “And look,” with another smirk. “I got her.”

“Only after she spat in your face, ripped part of your hair out and shattered your balls. And what did I say about…”

“The point is I got her!” The young man snapped. “And now I have another vessel. My most future self will be pleased.”

The blue haired man merely rolled his eyes as he hoisted the girl over his shoulders and carried her away, with the younger Xehanort staggering behind him. 

~~~

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this. Though originally written a few years ago, I’ve done a lot of work adding onto it and improving things now that I had more game lore to work with. Also this was my first time writing smut so it was kind of a learning experience for me. 
> 
> The story continues in Seeking Purpose which chronicles Kalai/Alixka's misadventures during the events of Kingdom Hearts 3.


End file.
